Number of asylum hotels falls to 185 after 11 close
Asylum Hotel Numbers Drop to 185 After 11 Closures
The Home Office has closed 11 hotels used to house asylum seekers, reducing the total count to 185 from a high of approximately 400. This decrease follows a surge in deportations of individuals without the right to remain in the UK and the expansion of alternative housing options like military barracks. Alex Norris, a Home Office minister, noted that asylum hotels had become a “significant source of community annoyance” and a factor attracting irregular migration.
Conservative Criticism and Alternative Plans
Conservative critics accused the government of “shunting people from hotels into residential apartments to conceal ongoing issues,” suggesting the move was an attempt to obscure the situation. Norris emphasized that the closures aim to diminish the incentive for illegal arrivals by altering the current model.
Asylum seekers typically cannot work during their initial 12 months while their cases are processed. If they lack private housing, the Home Office must provide accommodations. The use of hotels for this purpose expanded sharply in 2020 due to delays in processing claims and a shortage of permanent housing.
Cost and Controversy
Protests and legal disputes from local authorities have highlighted the contentious nature of asylum hotels. In 2024-2025, the government spent £2.1bn on hotel accommodations, a figure that dropped to £3bn the prior year. By December, 103,426 people were in asylum housing, with 30,657 staying in hotels. Two-thirds of those were placed in community-based dispersal sites.
The next official report is expected in May, but Norris anticipates hotel occupancy will fall below 29,585, a level seen when Labour took office. The peak for asylum hotel residents occurred in 2023 with over 56,000 people, but numbers have since declined.
Labour’s Commitment to Ending Hotel Use
Labour has vowed to stop using hotels for asylum seekers by July 2029. The minister claimed the closures would save nearly £65 million annually and hinted at further reductions. Norris argued the change would disrupt the cycle of illegal crossings, stating, “We know traffickers say ‘come to the UK, live in a hotel, work illegally’—we’re changing that reality.”
Despite a pledge to cut small boat arrivals by targeting trafficking networks after July 2024, over 100,000 migrants still arrived in 2025. The government aims to replace hotels with “large, basic accommodation sites” to permanently relocate individuals.
Protests and Political Reactions
Local protests have emerged against the plan, with councillor Rachel Millward criticizing the lack of community engagement. Meanwhile, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the government of “hiding what is going on” by shifting residents to apartments, which he claimed reduce housing availability for others.
Max Wilkinson of the Liberal Democrats praised the closures but noted they do not resolve the root issue, advocating for faster processing through Nightingale centers. Zia Yusuf of Reform UK called the shift “shocking,” arguing the government merely moves the problem.
The Green Party has been asked for its response, while the BBC invites readers to sign up for its Politics Essential newsletter to stay updated on developments in Westminster and beyond.