Full Breakdown
Burnham Calls for Wealthier Communities to Share Asylum Accommodation Burden
8/12/2026, 12:56:41 AM
Core Development: Ending Asylum Hotels and Expanding Council-Led Housing
Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to halt “asylum hotels” and shift more temporary accommodation to wealthier areas. He signalled openness to ending multibillion-pound contracts with private firms that manage hotel and HMO placements and to reviving a £500 million pilot that would let councils buy or refurbish homes for asylum seekers.
Background & Context
The Home Office has relied on contractors such as Serco, Mears and Clearsprings for hotel and HMO placements. After the Makerfield by-election in June, Burnham promised to end “HMO Britain” and to change Britain’s tactics against small-boat crossings. As mayor of Greater Manchester in 2018, he warned the region could not host “disproportionate” numbers of asylum seekers. Conservative Home Secretary Sajid Javid then pledged a “fairer distribution.”
Data & Statistics
- 97,519 people were receiving asylum support at the end of March; 20,885 were in hotels and 72,768 in other forms, including community “dispersal” housing.
- The north-east and north-west of England have the highest per-capita rates, with 26 and 25 supported people per 10,000 residents respectively.
- Local authorities with the most supported asylum seekers are Glasgow (3,870), Birmingham (2,142), Liverpool (2,053), Coventry (1,712) and Belfast (1,607).
- A National Audit Office report noted ten-year contracts signed in 2019 will see £15.3 billion paid to the three private firms.
- The £500 million pilot, halted over cost concerns, was designed to let councils purchase or refurbish properties for temporary asylum accommodation.
- The proposed Bicester Ministry of Defence site would house up to 1,250 asylum seekers; other planned barracks sites could accommodate almost 5,000.
Official Statements & Responses
The Home Office reported that the north-east and north-west host a disproportionate share of asylum seekers per capita, while other regions sit below the national average.
Criticism & Opposition
Residents of Piddington, a village of about 400 people, voted 96 percent in favour of a symbolic “independence” referendum on July 4, fearing that housing 1,250 asylum seekers would “overwhelm” the hamlet.
Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart accused Burnham of “running away” from the small-boat crisis and dismissed the government’s proposed “one-in-one-out” deterrent as “nonsense.”
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy called for an end to “profiteering” and urged a council-led, community-based solution, while other Labour backbenchers warned a council-funded scheme could become a “political lottery” and fuel support for Reform UK.
Verbatim Quotes
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the total number of asylum seekers slated for military-site accommodation: one report cites a capacity of 1,250 at Bicester, another mentions “almost 5,000” across several barracks.
The Home Office claims closing hotels will cut costs by £1 billion, while private-sector statements say profit margins are “contractually agreed” and provide “value for money.”
What’s Next
The government plans to continue moving asylum seekers into former military camps while evaluating whether to reactivate the £500 million pilot that would allow councils to purchase or refurbish housing for temporary accommodation. The Home Office maintains that the shift to “basic accommodation” such as former military sites will reduce reliance on hotels and HMOs, though local opposition in villages like Piddington suggests ongoing community debate.
