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Number of asylum hotels falls to 185 after 11 close

Lisa Miller 04/15/2026

Number of Asylum Hotels Drops to 185 Following 11 Closures

The Home Office has closed 11 hotels used to house asylum seekers, reducing the total count to 185 from a previous high of approximately 400. Minister Alex Norris cited the decrease as a result of higher deportation rates for individuals without legal rights to remain in the UK and the transition to other housing arrangements, such as military facilities.

Norris described the use of asylum hotels as a “major source of community concern” and noted their role in attracting migrants to enter the UK through illegal means. He argued that shifting asylum seekers to alternative accommodations would weaken the incentive for unauthorized arrivals. The Conservative Party criticized this move, claiming it was an attempt to relocate individuals to residential apartments in order to obscure the full scale of the issue.

Asylum seekers are not permitted to work during their initial 12-month period, and if they cannot afford their own housing, the Home Office must provide temporary accommodation. The reliance on hotels surged in 2020 due to delays in processing applications and limited access to long-term housing. This trend sparked widespread protests, legal disputes, and debates over the financial burden, with £3 billion spent on hotel accommodations in the prior year and £2.1 billion in 2024-2025.

According to data released in December, 103,426 people were in asylum accommodation, with 30,657 staying in hotels. Two-thirds of the population are housed in “dispersal sites,” typically community homes. The next official report is expected in May, but Norris anticipates the number in hotels will drop below 29,585, the level recorded when Labour assumed power. The peak usage of asylum hotels under the Conservatives reached over 56,000 in 2023, though the count has since decreased after Labour’s victory.

“We know traffickers say, ‘come to the UK, live in a hotel, work illegally,’ said Norris. ‘We’re changing that reality, trying to reduce the pull factor.'”

Despite Labour’s pledge to eliminate hotel use by July 2029, the government continues to face challenges. Following its July 2024 election win, it promised to curb small boat crossings by dismantling trafficking networks, yet over 100,000 migrants arrived in 2025. Norris emphasized the plan to replace hotels with “large, basic accommodation sites” for permanent relocation.

Up to 350 undocumented migrants have been transferred to the Crowborough military barracks in East Sussex. Local protests have emerged, with councillor Rachel Millward questioning the lack of community consultation and transparency in the strategy. Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, accused the government of “shunting people from hotels into residential apartments to hide what is going on,” adding that such moves limit housing availability for young people.

The Liberal Democrats supported the closure of hotels, stating it benefits both communities and asylum seekers, though they argued the solution only shifts the problem. Zia Yusuf of Reform UK criticized the government for “boasting about moving illegal migrants from one taxpayer-funded accommodation to another,” warning that more arrivals would follow unless the party gains control. The Green Party has been reached for a response.