Asylum Hotel Numbers Drop to 185 After 11 Closures
The Home Office has closed eleven hotel facilities used for housing asylum seekers, reducing the total count to 185 from a previous high of approximately 400. This shift follows a strategy to accelerate the removal of individuals without legal residency and to relocate others to alternative accommodations such as military barracks.
Home Office Minister Alex Norris attributed the decline to the government’s efforts to address the backlog in asylum processing and to decrease reliance on hotels. He highlighted that these facilities had become a source of tension for local communities and a lure for those attempting to enter the UK illegally.
“We know the traffickers say ‘come to the UK, live in a hotel, work illegally’,” Norris stated. “We’re changing that reality, we’re trying to reduce that pull factor.”
The Conservatives criticized the move, arguing it was an attempt to conceal the broader issue by shifting asylum seekers to residential apartments. “Shunting people from hotels into residential apartments to hide what is going on,” said Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary.
Asylum seekers typically cannot work during their first year in the UK while their claims are being processed. When they lack private housing, the Home Office is obligated to provide temporary lodging. The surge in hotel use began in 2020, driven by delays in processing and a shortage of permanent housing options.
Recent figures show that £2.1bn was spent on asylum hotel operations in the 2024-2025 financial year, compared to £3bn in the prior period. As of December, 103,426 individuals were in asylum accommodations, with 30,657 specifically housed in hotels. Two-thirds of all asylum seekers are now accommodated in dispersal sites, usually community-based housing.
Norris anticipates the number of people in hotels will fall below 29,585, the level recorded when Labour took office. The peak usage of asylum hotels under the Conservatives was over 56,000 in 2023, though numbers have since dipped after Labour’s assumption of power.
Labour has pledged to eliminate hotel use for asylum seekers by July 2029, estimating annual savings of nearly £65m. The minister claimed the closures would help curb illegal arrivals, though 100,625 individuals still reached the UK in 2025, surpassing the pre-election target.
Political responses have varied. The Liberal Democrats emphasized that while closing hotels is beneficial, it merely relocates the issue. “Closing asylum hotels is right for both communities and asylum seekers themselves, but it doesn’t fix the problem; it just moves it elsewhere,” said Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Max Wilkinson.
Reform UK criticized the government for moving illegal migrants between taxpayer-funded accommodations. “It is absolutely shocking that the government is boasting about moving illegal migrants from one form of taxpayer-funded accommodation to another,” said Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman.
Local protests have emerged, with some councillors opposing the plan. Rachel Millward, a local councillor, noted the Home Office had not adequately consulted communities or outlined the strategy. The Green Party has yet to respond to the developments.
