Immigration Minister Anna Turley announced this week that the government will stop using a further 13 hotels to house asylum seekers across the country. This decision brings the total number of hotel closures this year to 44.
The move aligns with Labour's manifesto pledge, reiterated by Andy Burnham, to cease all hotel use for asylum seekers by the end of the current parliament. According to the Home Office, fewer than 160 hotels are still being used for this purpose.
Asylum seekers are often moved to houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs), former military barracks, or other hotels, sometimes with short notice and to locations hundreds of miles away. Two barracks, Wethersfield in Essex and Crowborough in East Sussex, are now full, with planning permission being sought for three more sites: RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF Barnham, and Bicester Garrison.
The government estimates these new sites could eventually house approximately 3,750 people. The National Audit Office indicates that barracks are not necessarily cheaper than hotels due to significant set-up costs, with the estimated hotel cost per night at £144 compared to £23.25 for HMOs.