Story perspectives

Government to close asylum hotels, move seekers to sites

8/15/2026

Summary

Turley Closes Hotels

Immigration minister Anna Turley announced the government will close asylum hotels and move seekers to military sites, student housing and houses in occupation.
A government spokesperson said hotel occupancy fell 35% in the past year and 63% from the 2023 peak, saving £1 billion.
Home Office data showed 97,519 asylum-support recipients at end-March, with 20,885 in hotels and 72,768 elsewhere, in areas where councils the Cotswolds and New Forest reported none.

Summary

Residents Oppose Asylum

Residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, organized an independence referendum after the Home Office proposed housing 1,000 asylum seekers nearby, despite receiving no formal consultation from the Home Office or Mayor Andy Burnham’s office.
Protesters gathered at the former RAF base in Barnham, Suffolk, to oppose its designation as an asylum-seeker site.
Derby City Council officials wrote to the Midland and Station Hotels seeking timelines and planning applications to convert them to hostels.

History

Historical Context

The 1998 white paper “Fairer, Faster and Firmer” prompted the UK Parliament to enact the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which under section 95 introduced a dispersal system where asylum seekers could remain beyond the two-week initial accommodation. Today’s plan to move seekers from hotels to military bases revives the same consultation gaps that sparked earlier local opposition.

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Turley Closes Hotels

Immigration minister Anna Turley announced the government will close asylum hotels and move seekers to military sites, student housing and houses in occupation.
A government spokesperson said hotel occupancy fell 35% in the past year and 63% from the 2023 peak, saving £1 billion.
Home Office data showed 97,519 asylum-support recipients at end-March, with 20,885 in hotels and 72,768 elsewhere, in areas where councils the Cotswolds and New Forest reported none.

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