The UK government has announced the closure of 13 more hotels being used to accommodate asylum seekers as part of its plan to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation.
The latest closures will allow the affected hotels across England to return to normal commercial use or be repurposed for local communities.
The government said the move would also help hotels welcome paying guests again, support local employment and benefit businesses such as restaurants, cafés, shops and tourist attractions.
The closures form part of a wider effort to reduce the cost of the UK’s asylum system, ease pressure on taxpayer-funded accommodation and speed up the processing and removal of people who do not have a legal right to remain in the country.
13 More Asylum Hotels to Close
The latest announcement brings the number of asylum hotels closed this year to dozens.
The government previously shut 11 hotels in April and another 20 in June.
With the latest closures, officials say fewer than 160 asylum hotels now remain in operation across the UK.
The 13 hotels being closed are:
- Ramada Jarvis Hotel — Loughborough
- Chimney House Hotel — Sandbach
- Britannia Ashley Hotel — Hale
- Gold Thorn Hotel — Wolverhampton
- Grand Metropole Hotel — Blackpool
- Nottingham Hotel — Nottingham
- Grosvenor Hotel — Stratford-upon-Avon
- Staycity Apartments Deptford Bridge — Lewisham
- Needham House — Hitchin
- Holiday Inn — Bridgwater
- Holiday Inn Express — Dunstable
- Dubrovnik Hotel — Bradford
- Best Western Brook Hotel — Norwich
The government estimates that the latest closures will save taxpayers about £51 million, bringing projected savings from asylum hotel closures this year to £224 million.
It also said the overall cost of asylum accommodation has fallen by almost £1 billion since the 2024 general election.
Why Did the UK Start Using Hotels for Asylum Seekers?
The large-scale use of hotels expanded as the UK experienced a significant increase in asylum applications and a growing backlog of cases.
At the height of the programme in 2023, about 400 hotels were being used to accommodate asylum seekers.
The government said the hotel system was costing taxpayers approximately £9 million every day.
Hotels were initially used as temporary accommodation while asylum claims were being processed. However, the arrangement became controversial, with communities and politicians raising concerns about the cost and the impact on towns and cities.
The current government has therefore made reducing dependence on hotels a major part of its immigration policy.
Where Will Asylum Seekers Be Housed?
Instead of relying heavily on hotels, the government says it is increasing the use of larger and more basic accommodation.
This includes former military facilities that can accommodate larger numbers of people.
The Home Office has begun discussions over three former Ministry of Defence sites that could eventually house about 3,750 asylum seekers:
- MOD Bicester — planning permission is currently being sought.
- MOD Barnham — planning permission is also being sought.
- MOD Linton-on-Ouse — discussions are ongoing over its potential use.
The government is also seeking to extend the use of existing military sites, including Crowborough until 2030 and Wethersfield beyond 2027.
UK Government Targets Faster Asylum Decisions
The hotel closures are also being accompanied by measures aimed at speeding up asylum and immigration decisions.
The government said record numbers of asylum decisions have been made since July 2024, while almost 70,000 migrants have been removed.
It also plans to introduce the Immigration and Asylum Bill, which officials say will make it easier and faster to remove people who are in the UK illegally.
Another proposed change is a new 24-week target for deciding asylum and immigration appeals involving people in accommodation and foreign national offenders.
The government said the target is intended to reduce the current average waiting period of 67 weeks, allowing cases to be resolved faster and reducing the amount of time people spend in taxpayer-funded accommodation.
Government: Asylum Hotels Should End
Immigration Minister Anna Turley said communities had for too long associated hotels in their towns and cities with the asylum system.
“For too long, communities have watched hotels at the centre of their towns and cities become symbols of a broken asylum system,” Turley said.
She said the government was moving towards larger, basic accommodation, including former military facilities, as it works to end the use of asylum hotels.
“This government’s reforms are overhauling the immigration system to restore control at the border, and fairness to our immigration system,” she added.
The government says more asylum hotels are expected to close as alternative accommodation becomes available and efforts continue to reduce the asylum backlog.
The move is expected to reduce pressure on the taxpayer-funded accommodation system while allowing hotels previously used for asylum accommodation to return to their commercial purpose.
Source: UK Government / GOV.UK
