The number of asylum seekers being accommodated in hotels across the United Kingdom has seen a significant increase of 13% over a three-month period, according to newly released government data.
A Rising Trend Amid Political Promises
Figures show that 36,273 people were staying in temporary hotel accommodation in September while awaiting decisions on their asylum claims. This marks a sharp rise from the 32,041 recorded in June 2024. The current number also exceeds the figure from the same period last year, which stood at 35,628.
This increase occurs despite the Labour government's pledge to stop using hotels for asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament, a deadline that would be 2029, if not earlier. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated his desire to close the asylum hotels "as quickly as possible," but his administration insists it "inherited a huge mess" from the previous Conservative government, blaming their failure to process claims efficiently.
Government Response and Alternative Accommodation
In response to the growing numbers and public pressure, the Home Office is pushing forward with plans to move asylum seekers out of hotels. A spokesperson confirmed that there are now "fewer than 200" asylum hotels in use, a slight decrease from the "fewer than 210" cited earlier this year, and vowed, "we will close every single one."
As part of this strategy, the government announced in October that it would use two military sites as contingency accommodation: Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex. These sites are intended to house around 900 men temporarily. However, this move has been met with local opposition. Hundreds of people protested in Crowborough against the plans for the site, which has a capacity for 540 men. Similar concerns about community cohesion have been raised by the local authority in Inverness regarding the "sudden" presence of several hundred asylum seekers.
Local Tensions and Legal Challenges
The issue of housing asylum seekers has sparked visible public discontent. Over the summer, the Bell Hotel in Essex became the centre of a wave of protests. The situation escalated after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Epping in July. This week, Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) stated it would seek to appeal a High Court ruling that dismissed its bid to stop the hotel from being used for this purpose.
Looking at the broader picture, the number of asylum seekers in hotels peaked at 56,018 at the end of September 2023 under the Conservative government. It then dropped to a record low of 29,561 in June 2024, just before the general election, before beginning its recent climb. The Home Office maintains that sweeping reforms are underway to restore order and control to the UK's borders, remove incentives for illegal migration, and make it easier to deport those without a right to remain.
