The number of asylum seekers in hotels has gone down very slightly from 32,345 in March this year, to 32,059 in June 2025, Home Office data shows.
However, figures from the last 12 months during Labour’s first year in power show that the figure has increased from 29,585 compared to 32,059 this year - a rise of 8 per cent.
As numbers continue to fall in recent months, government spending on asylum in the UK also stood at £4.76 billion in 2024/25, down 12% from a record £5.38 billion in 2023/24.
It comes as Labour-run councils are among those considering legal challenges against the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, as the government scrambles to draw up a contingency plan.
Carol Dean, leader of Labour-controlled Tamworth Council, said her authority had previously decided against legal action but was now “carefully assessing” what the decision might mean for the area, adding it was a “potentially important legal precedent”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Tory local councils to take inspiration from the Epping legal ruling to launch challenges of their own.
The opposition leader said Epping Forest District Council had achieved “a victory for local people”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also called for his party’s councils to launch their own legal challenges.
Read More
Key Points
- Labour-run councils among those considering legal action
- Kemi Badenoch urges Tory councils to challenge asylum hotels
- Labour in turmoil as more councils consider launching legal action to ban asylum seekers
- Farage calls for protests following Epping ruling
- How many asylum seekers are in hotels across the UK?
Number of asylum claims awaiting decision drops as Labour push through backlog
09:47
,
Holly Bancroft
Labour have been making progress in slashing the asylum backlog, with the number of asylum claims awaiting a decision continuing to fall.
The total number waiting was 70,532 in June this year, down on more than 90,000 at the end of 2024.
The numbers waiting for more than 12 months for a decision are also falling significantly, although some 19,000 people are still in this position. Some 30,637 had been waiting for over a year on their asylum decision in September last year.
Number of asylum seekers in hotels dips in last three months
09:39
,
Holly Bancroft
The number of asylum seekers in hotels has gone down very slightly from 32,345 in March this year, to 32,059 in June 2025.
Asylum seekers in other forms of accommodation has also dipped, with the number in dispersed accommodation going from 66,683 in March to 66,234 in June this year. There are a total of 106,075 people in receipt of asylum support, a fall of around 600 people in the past three months.
The number in hotels in June last year was 29,585 compared to 32,059 this year - a rise of 8 per cent. However the number in hotels has been falling since the end of last year.
Dudley council seeking legal advice for injunction against asylum hotel
09:19
,
Holly Evans
Patrick Harley, Conservative leader of Dudley council, told The Independent that he had instructed the council's legal team to seek an injunction against an asylum hotel in the borough.
He said: "For years now we have taken a robust approach to handling Serco and the Home Office in relation to the placement of asylum seekers in hotels. We have previously threatened legal action against both Serco and individuals.
“As a result we only have one hotel in the borough that has been commandeered by Serco for this use."
He added: "I have instructed our legal team to seek a similar injunction against Serco and the Home Office in relation to what's happened yesterday at Epping".
Labour-run councils among those considering legal action
09:02
,
Holly Evans
Several local authorities, including some run by the Labour Party, said they were looking at their options to take similar action.
Carol Dean, leader of Labour-controlled Tamworth Council, said her authority had previously decided against legal action but was now “carefully assessing” what the decision might mean for the area, adding it was a “potentially important legal precedent”.
A spokesperson for Wirral Council, which has seen protests outside a hotel in Hoylake, said the authority was “considering the detail” of Tuesday’s judgment.
Other authorities have ruled out legal action, with the leader of Labour-run Newcastle City Council saying she was “confident” the council could end the use of hotels without going to court.
Karen Kilgour said: “We recognise that people seeking asylum include families, women, and children, many of whom have faced unimaginable trauma.
“Newcastle has a proud history of offering sanctuary, and we stand ready to play our part – but it must be done in a way that works for our city and supports the dignity and wellbeing of those who come here.”
Chris Philp defends use of Bibby Stockholm barge
08:48
,
Holly Evans
The shadow home secretary has defended the Bibby Stockholm barge, as he suggested the government should move asylum seekers being housed in hotels to army barracks or modular accommodation.
When asked on Sky News what other options the government had following Epping Council's legal win - with the Bibby Stockholm being highlighted as a failure - Chris Philp said: “I’m not sure I would say it didn’t work. It had some initial issues with I think its water system, but it did get up and running. That would have held 500 people so you could have actually added more of those barges.
“They’re used to accommodate works on oil and gas installations so they’re not prison ships they’re used for workers ordinarily. But Labour decommissioned that so that’s no longer an option.”
The Bibby Stockholm was a hugely controversial barge that was used to house asylum seekers from 2023-2024. It was plagued with problems, including a discovery of legionella bacteria in the water that forced the temporary evacuation of residents onboard.
An asylum seeker, Leonard Farruku, also took his own life on the barge in 2023, and other residents warned the site was unsafe and overcrowded.
Labour braced for wave of legal action over migrant hotels as immigration crisis deepens
08:37
,
Holly Evans
Labour is bracing for a wave of legal action that could displace thousands of asylum seekers after councils across England signalled they could seek to ban hotels for migrants.
Home Office minister Dan Jarvis has said that the government is working on contingency plans for housing asylum seekers after Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary High Court injunction, forcing the removal of the 136 migrants who live there, in a landmark ruling on Tuesday.
The order blocks asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which has been the site of a series of violent protests that have seen police officers injured and multiple people arrested for disorder in recent weeks.
Read the full report here:
How many asylum seekers are in hotels across the UK?
08:29
,
Holly Evans
The most recent Home Office data showed there were 32,345 asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March.
This was down 15 per cent from the end of December, when the total was 38,079.
New figures – published among the usual quarterly immigration data release – are expected on Thursday, showing numbers in hotels at the end of June.
Figures for hotels published by the Home Office date back to December 2022 and showed numbers hit a peak at the end of September 2023 when there were 56,042 asylum seekers in hotels.
Farage calls for protests following Epping ruling
08:22
,
Holly Evans
Nigel Farage has called for peaceful protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers to put pressure on local authorities to take the same route as Epping Forest.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said: “Now the good people of Epping must inspire similar protests around Britain.
“Wherever people are concerned about the threat posed by young undocumented males living in local hotels and who are free to walk their streets, they should follow the example of the town in Essex.
“Let’s hold peaceful protests outside the migrant hotels, and put pressure on local councils to go to court to try and get the illegal immigrants out; we now know that together we can win.”
The Reform UK leader has indicated that councils run by his party will consider their own legal challenges.
Kemi Badenoch urges Tory councils to challenge asylum hotels
08:15
,
Holly Evans
Kemi Badenoch has called for more Conservative councils to launch legal challenges over asylum hotels as the Government faces a potential revolt from its own local authorities.
In a letter to Tory councils, Mrs Badenoch said she was “encouraging” them to “take the same steps” as Epping Council “if your legal advice supports it”.
In her letter, Mrs Badenoch praised the legal challenge and told Tory councils she would “back you to take similar action to protect your community”.
But she added that the situation would “depend on individual circumstances of the case” and suggested Tory councils could pursue “other planning enforcement options”.
She also accused Labour of “trying to ram through such asylum hotels without consultation and proper process”, saying the Government had reopened the Bell Hotel as asylum accommodation after the Conservatives had closed it.
Government minister asked whether she would support Labour councils challenging migrant hotels
08:08
,
Holly Evans
The school standards minister was asked today whether she would support Labour-run councils if they decided to launch legal action to stop the use of hotels housing migrants in their area.
The leaders of Wirral and Tamworth councils have both said they are considering the legal options after the Epping case. Cat McKinnell said it “Wasn’t her place” to comment on what “would be a legal process” and said: “I think it’s important the government works really closely with local authorities to manage these circumstances within local communities.
“We recognise the legitimate concerns and the efforts that local authorities are making to make sure the situation under their locality is appropriate.
She added: “What I would say as a government is thay we are absolutely committed to dealing with the huge mess that we inherited from the last government.”
Shadow home secretary calls for Rwanda-style deterrent
07:52
,
Holly Evans
The shadow home secretary has called for the government to introduce a Rwanda-style scheme to prevent people from crossing the channel illegally.
“We need a Rwanda-style deterrent so everyone crossing the channel illegally gets deported either back to their country of origin if possible, or a third country if not,” Chris Philp told the BBC Radio Today programme.
“To fix the problem, you have to stop people from entering the country illegally in the first place and the only way you can stop that is to deter the crossings. People thinking about crossing the channel need to know that they stand a pretty much 100 per cent chance of being removed immediately,” he said.
“If they know that’s going to happen they won’t bother crossing the channel in the first place and then this debate about where you accommodate asylum seekers and illegal immigrants doesn’t arise.”
People are 'understandably angry' with government and border crisis
07:41
,
Holly Evans
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp has said “people are understandably angry about the Government” as he took a question about future protests outside asylum hotels.
Asked whether there was a “risk” the High Court’s decision “will encourage more protests and problems in communities outside these hotels”, Mr Philp told BBC Breakfast: “People are understandably angry about the Government, the Labour Government’s failings, the border crisis they’re presiding over.
“They do have the right to peacefully protest – I do stress the word ‘peacefully’. Peaceful protest is lawful, it is every citizen’s right to do that.
“Of course, if it isn’t peaceful, that is wrong and that should be dealt with by the police, but where protest is peaceful, people have every right to engage in protest.”
He had earlier claimed that “reporting says hundreds of charges have been laid against illegal immigrants being accommodated in these hotels”.
Three Tory councils considering legal action over asylum hotels, Chris Philp says
07:33
,
Holly Evans
Chris Philp has named three Conservative councils which are considering legal action in a bid to shut down asylum hotels in their areas.
Asked “how many Tory councils are considering legal action”, the Conservative shadow home secretary told BBC Breakfast: “There are certainly a number who are actively considering it. Broxbourne, which is next door to Epping, is one of them.
“I think Reigate and Banstead is another, Hillingdon is yet a third.
“So, I think there are many up and down the country who are looking at this following the Epping ruling.”
Mr Philp later added: “I think these councils are, you know, sick and tired of having these asylum hotels housing predominantly young men who entered the country illegally in their communities. They want to see them closing down and that is why I think they’re rightly looking at legal action.”
More than 32,000 asylum seekers housed in UK hotels at end of March
07:01
,
Tom Watling
Home Office figures from the previous quarter show there were 32,345 asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March.
This was down 15% from the end of December, when the total was 38,079, and 6% lower than the 34,530 at the same point a year earlier.
Figures on those staying in hotels date back to December 2022 and showed numbers hit a peak at the end of September 2023, when there were 56,042 asylum seekers in hotels.
Where are asylum seekers staying in the UK?
06:01
,
Tom Watling
Over 8 in 10 local authorities host some asylum seekers, Home Office figures show. This is a significant rise over the last decade.
Accommodation for asylum seekers varies by region. In the North East of England, just 5 per cent are housed in hotels, while in London hotels make up the majority of accommodation (65 per cent).
Epping Forest council is within the East of England region, which has 41 per cent of migrants housed in hotels.
Labour says Badenoch's letter is 'pathetic stunt'
05:01
,
Tom Watling
A Labour spokesperson has dismissed a letter from Kemi Badenoch to Tory councils urging them to launch legal challenges against asylum hotels as a “pathetic stunt”.
In a letter to Tory councils, Mrs Badenoch said she was "encouraging" them to "take the same steps" as Epping Council "if your legal advice supports it".
The Labour spokesperson said the letter was a "desperate and hypocritical nonsense from the architects of the broken asylum system", saying there were now "20,000 fewer asylum seekers in hotels than at their peak under the Tories".
Readers react to Epping asylum hotel ruling
04:01
,
Tom Watling
Independent readers are divided over the High Court ruling that asylum seekers must be moved out of The Bell Hotel in Epping, with many seeing it as a fraught and short-term fix to a wider housing and migration crisis.
Many argued the judgement sets a dangerous precedent, effectively rewarding protests and unrest by closing hotels, and leaving asylum seekers displaced without proper alternatives.
Others warned that the decision risks emboldening far-right groups, who would see disruptive tactics as a way to influence local planning and policy.
Read our full story here.
Politicians making mischief over asylum hotels are in for an unwelcome surprise
03:00
,
Tom Watling
How much is the government paying to house asylum seekers in hotels?
02:01
,
Daniel Keane
Social media posts and viral messages have claimed that housing asylum seekers in hotels costs the government between £200 and £500 per night. However, there is no evidence to support these figures.
The Home Office told The Independent that the Britannia Hotel costs £81 per night to house asylum seekers.
In March 2025, the average cost per night for a hotel room used to accommodate asylum seekers was £118.87 — down from £162.16 in March 2023. Across all hotels, this equates to around £5.77m per day, down from £8.3m per day the previous year.
Read our full story here.
How many asylum seekers are in UK hotels and why are they being housed there?
01:00
,
Tom Watling
Solving the asylum question is suddenly even more urgent
Thursday 21 August 2025 00:00
,
Tom Watling
Jenrick reissues offer to help with asylum hotel claims
Wednesday 20 August 2025 23:01
,
Tom Watling
I’ve been overwhelmed by messages of support for Lawyers For Borders.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) August 20, 2025
If you need help, get in touch.
If you’re a lawyer and want to help secure our borders, contact me. https://t.co/3YPMfuo71m
Is Labour really failing on immigration and asylum hotels?
Wednesday 20 August 2025 22:30
,
Tom Watling
Scottish first minister hits back at Tory shadow minister Robert Jenrick
Wednesday 20 August 2025 21:58
,
Tom Watling
The former first minister of Scotland has accused the Tories of “deliberately trying to fuel hatred” against asylum seekers by presenting them as a threat to women and children.
Humza Yousaf said politicians like Robert Jenrick were “reviving the old colonial lie that people from the east are somehow dangerous savages”.
Mr Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has said he supports “every peaceful protest outside an asylum hotel” and later attended one in Epping, where an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
In a video posted to social media, Mr Yousaf hit back at the Tory claims, saying it was “predatory men” who posed a danger to women, rather than people from any one group, such as asylum seekers.
It isn't asylum seekers I need to protect my daughters from, it is men.
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) August 20, 2025
Predatory men, who come from all backgrounds & nationalities.
When Tories single out one group of men, but not others, it's obvious they don't care about women's safety, they just want to divide society. pic.twitter.com/GyTUCwAwka
Antrim and Newtownabbey Council probes hotel being used for asylum seekers
Wednesday 20 August 2025 21:43
,
Tom Watling
A local council in Northern Ireland has started a probe into a hotel being used to house asylum seekers.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Council confirmed that an enforcement investigation has commenced.
It is understood it is into the legal planning status of the hotel in Co Antrim being used to house asylum seekers.
A council spokesperson said they have no further comment to make at this time.
Politicians making mischief over asylum hotels are in for an unwelcome surprise
Wednesday 20 August 2025 21:16
,
Tom Watling
Labour braced for wave of legal action over migrant hotels as immigration crisis deepens
Wednesday 20 August 2025 20:46
,
Tom Watling
Read our piece in full from all of today’s reaction to the High Court ruling in Epping.
Southampton City Council considering options over asylum hotel closures
Wednesday 20 August 2025 20:16
,
Tom Watling
Another Labour-run council, Southampton City, has added their voice to the string of local authorities saying they will consider their legal options in light of the Epping hotel ruling.
A Southampton City Council spokesperson said: “We are carefully considering this judgment and the options available to us as a council. We recognise the challenges the government faces in managing the asylum process and will continue to work closely with the Home Office to support their ambition to close all asylum hotels by the end of this parliament, if not sooner, to ensure the best outcome for Southampton.”
Rushmoor Council 'keeping all options' open over asylum hotel closures
Wednesday 20 August 2025 19:32
,
Tom Watling
A spokesperson for Rushmoor borough council in Hampshire told The Independent that they were "keeping all options available to us on the table in light of the Epping judgement”.
They said: "We are carefully considering this judgment and keeping all options available to us on the table.
“We have already worked with the government to successfully close the asylum accommodation opened at Hillside Place in Farnborough, and we will continue to work closely with the Home Office to meet their ambition to close all asylum hotels as swiftly as possible and ensure the best outcome for Aldershot and Farnborough."
Wakefield Council calls for asylum hotels to be shut down
Wednesday 20 August 2025 19:03
,
Tom Watling
The leader of Wakefield council, Cllr Denise Jeffrey, has said that the government must go "further and faster" to close asylum hotels.
She added: "We want asylum seekers to be provided with more appropriate accommodation so that Cedar Court hotel in Wakefield stops being used to house them. The Government should instead work with Councils, housing providers, and local communities to develop a comprehensive plan to meet their needs elsewhere.
“We’ve been raising concerns about this with the Home Office since early 2023. We’re now carefully considering the implications of the High Court ruling to award Epping Forest District Council an interim injunction. Wakefield will continue to put our local communities first in everything we do."
‘Short-term fix to a bigger crisis’: Readers react to Epping asylum hotel ruling
Wednesday 20 August 2025 18:42
,
Tom Watling
Newcastle City Council to fight asylum hotels without legal recourse
Wednesday 20 August 2025 18:24
,
Tom Watling
The leader of Labour-run Newcastle City Council, Karen Kilgour, said it will not take legal action over asylum seekers who are housed in hotels in the city.
She said: “Our position remains unchanged. We strongly oppose the use of hotels as accommodation for people seeking asylum.
“They are not appropriate or sustainable, either for the individuals involved or for the local community.
“As I have previously said, we are in active discussions with the Home Office around how the council can take greater control in the placement of asylum seekers in the city, while ending the use of hotels.
“We are confident we can achieve this without the need to seek an injunction.
“We recognise that people seeking asylum include families, women, and children, many of whom have faced unimaginable trauma. Newcastle has a proud history of offering sanctuary, and we stand ready to play our part – but it must be done in a way that works for our city and supports the dignity and wellbeing of those who come here.”
So, where will we put asylum seekers now courts have backed the ‘not in my backyarders’?
Wednesday 20 August 2025 18:00
,
Tom Watling
What is the message that comes from the High Court’s decision to back Epping Forest Council’s petition to close the Bell Hotel, which has been used to accommodate people seeking asylum?
It is not, as has been propagandised, that the establishment judges – who, it turns out, are not “enemies of the people” after all – listened with sympathy to the cries of the mums and nans demonstrating outside the hotel and begging for protection for their kids (after one of the people in the hotel was arrested and then charged with a sexual assault). The High Court didn’t take a view on that.
Brighton and Hove says it remains a 'proud city of sanctuary' for asylum seekers
Wednesday 20 August 2025 17:41
,
Tom Watling
Brighton and Hove City Council has said that as a “proud city of sanctuary” it will continue to welcome and support asylum seekers.
Jacob Taylor, the local authority’s deputy leader, said: “As a proud city of sanctuary we will always play our role in housing asylum seekers and providing a welcome and support to those fleeing persecution and horrific circumstances which many of us can thankfully only imagine.
“We will not comment on the location of hotels being used by the Home Office to provide temporary accommodation to people seeking asylum.
“I believe to do so in the current climate is irresponsible and risks causing division and unrest in our communities at a time when more than ever we need to bring people together.”
Jenrick: Contact me if you want help submitting a claim against aslyum hotels
Wednesday 20 August 2025 17:12
,
Tom Watling
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has offered his services to any council or community member that wants to launch their own legal challenge to the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.
You can watch the full video below.
What a result for the people of Epping.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) August 20, 2025
What now?
More peaceful protests. More injunctions. If any council wants legal help, get in touch.
Starmer will only respond to pressure. pic.twitter.com/7PEAQBtiiO
Wirral Council considering High Court ruling after demonstrations
Wednesday 20 August 2025 16:51
,
Tom Watling
A spokesman for Labour-run Wirral Council, where there have been demonstrations outside the former Holiday Inn Express in Hoylake, said: “We will be considering the detail of the judgment and how it might impact on planning consent for the proposed use of the former hotel in Hoylake.”
Kent County Council seeking information on all asylum hotels in 12 districts
Wednesday 20 August 2025 16:33
,
Tom Watling
Reform UK council leader Linden Kemkaran says she will write to Kent’s district and borough councils to ask if they have “similar facilities” to Epping Forest.
Ms Kemkaran, leader of Kent County Council (KCC) acknowledged that planning and housing decisions are not county council matters, but wants to “support” the district and borough councils in Kent.
She told the PA news agency: “Following the recent High Court ruling granting an interim injunction to Epping Forest District Council, I am writing to all my fellow Leaders in Kent’s 12 districts and boroughs to ask them about any similar facilities operating in their individual areas and the history of planning permissions for these.
“For nearly a decade now, Kent has been on the front line of the migrant crisis. The Government’s lack of a plan to deal with it successfully is putting an unreasonable and unsustainable strain on our already vastly overstretched public services.
“We will continue to support our district and borough councils and write to Government about the impact of these facilities on our residents and urge them for greater transparency and appropriate action.”
Tamworth council considered legal avenue last year against asylum hotel
Wednesday 20 August 2025 16:17
,
Tom Watling
Labour councillor Carol Dean, leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said the council did explore similar legal avenues when the Home Office first started using the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth to house asylum seekers, but did not end up pursuing them.
The Holiday Inn Express was the scene of large riots last year following stabbings in Southport, a two-hour drive north of Tamworth.
Ms Dean said: “I want to be transparent with our community – when the Home Office first began using the hotel in 2022, we did explore similar legal avenues. However, we did not pursue this route at the time because temporary injunctions, while initially granted in other cases nationally, were not ultimately upheld by the courts.
“The situation at Epping Forest represents a potentially important legal precedent, and we are carefully assessing what this might mean for our circumstances here in Tamworth.
“We fully recognise the UK Government has a statutory duty to accommodate people seeking asylum. However, we have consistently maintained that the prolonged use of hotel accommodation may not represent the best approach – either for our local community or for the asylum seekers themselves.
“We will continue to work constructively with government departments and all relevant agencies while making sure the voice of our community is heard at the highest levels of government. We will keep residents informed of any developments and will make further announcements as our legal review progresses.
“Our priority remains ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all people in Tamworth, while working towards a sustainable long-term solution that serves everyone’s interests.”
Tamworth council leader says High Court ruling sets 'important precedent'
Wednesday 20 August 2025 16:01
,
Tom Watling
A council leader in Tamworth, which was the scene of disorder following the Southport stabbings last year, said Tuesday’s High Court ruling to remove asylum seekers from a hotel in Essex represents a “potentially important legal precedent”.
Hundreds of protesters descended on the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth in August last year as missiles including fireworks, a petrol bomb, bricks, chunks of concrete and lampposts were hurled at the hotel and Staffordshire Police officers.
Labour councillor Carol Dean, leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said she understands the “strong feelings within our community regarding the use of the Holiday Inn to house those seeking asylum”.
She said: “I want to reassure residents that we are listening to their concerns and taking them seriously.
“Nationally Labour came to power just over a year ago. The use of hotels has halved from 402 at their peak to 210 now, with a national pledge to end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament.
“However, following the temporary High Court injunction granted to Epping Forest District Council, we are closely monitoring developments and reviewing our legal position in light of this significant ruling.”