Oxford Witney Hotel Ends Asylum Accommodation
The Oxford Witney Hotel on Ducklington Lane in Witney, Oxfordshire, has stopped operating as asylum accommodation, the Home Office confirmed. The hotel had been used as temporary housing for asylum seekers since November 2022. It is one of 20 hotels the government said it has ceased using as part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.
Government Defends Shift to Military Sites
Border security and asylum minister Alex Norris defended the move, stating: "We are moving asylum seekers into ex-military sites that are a far cry from the hotels the last Government left us with. This is a system being brought back under control – and we will not stop until the job is done." The Home Office plans to convert more disused Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites, including a former barracks at nearby Bicester, to house thousands of asylum seekers.
Criticism from Refugee Council and Opposition
Imran Hussain of the Refugee Council criticised the plan, saying: "Moving refugees from unsuitable hotels to unsuitable former military sites is storing up problems for the next prime minister by repeating policies that failed in the recent past." Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp argued Labour "should be putting illegal immigrants on a plane home rather than messing around with military camps and hotels," adding that "without deportation, there is no deterrent."
Local MP and Conservative Leader Respond
Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, Charlie Maynard, called the Bicester announcement a "lame attempt to copy Reform" and a "recipe for disaster." He urged the government to be "much more effective at controlling our borders and much faster at processing people who do arrive," suggesting the UK should "take a leaf out of Canada's book" with community sponsorship programmes.
Leader of the Oxfordshire Conservatives, Liam Walker, welcomed the hotel closure but argued that relocating people to military bases or shared housing would not address deeper structural issues. He said: "The asylum system remains far too slow. And the Government needs to get a grip of it by processing claims much more quickly, removing those with no right to remain, and ensuring local communities are properly consulted before accommodation is identified."
Historic Low in Asylum Hotel Numbers
According to Home Office figures published in May 2026, the number of asylum seekers housed in UK hotels dropped to 20,885 at the end of March 2026, a 35% year-on-year decrease and the lowest figure since tracking began in late 2022.
