{"id":367,"date":"2025-10-24T15:11:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T14:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/?p=367"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T14:12:00","slug":"asylum-the-backlog-small-boats-and-the-accommodation-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/asylum-the-backlog-small-boats-and-the-accommodation-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Asylum: the backlog, small boats and the accommodation crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);background-color:#e7e7dd;border-top:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-right:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-bottom:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-left:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-top-left-radius:0.5rem;border-top-right-radius:0.5rem;border-bottom-right-radius:0.5rem;border-bottom-left-radius:0.5rem;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-contents-title{font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list{color:#1b67a1;font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;margin-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list .kb-table-of-contents__entry:hover{color:#111111;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-list li{margin-bottom:8px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-list li .kb-table-of-contents-list-sub{margin-top:8px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-toggle-icon-style-basiccircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:after, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-toggle-icon-style-basiccircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:before, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-toggle-icon-style-arrowcircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:after, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-toggle-icon-style-arrowcircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:before, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-toggle-icon-style-xclosecircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:after, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-toggle-icon-style-xclosecircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:before{background-color:#e7e7dd;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{border-top:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-right:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-bottom:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-left:1px solid #d0d0d0;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id367_031f89-44 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{border-top:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-right:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-bottom:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-left:1px solid #d0d0d0;}}<\/style>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The asylum backlog \u2014 how it was allowed to grow and how to tackle it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An excellent piece in the <em>FT<\/em> by Georgina Quach (<a href=\"https:\/\/ep.ft.com\/permalink\/emails\/eyJlbWFpbCI6ImM1NWUwYThjNzJlYjVlZTVhMDIxYTcyNGMyNGEyNzQzZjg4MTViYzQwNjk3NTIiLCAidHJhbnNhY3Rpb25JZCI6ImY4NTg3ZDNiLThhYzMtNDk5Mi05ZTJmLTIzNDhmNWJlYzA3MyIsICJiYXRjaElkIjoiZjE2ZjI2N2ItMjgxNC00MzhjLTkxMzMtY2FmNmNhZWU2ZmVjIn0=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">free to read<\/a>) looks at how the asylum backlog grew and how it changed from one about initial claims to one about poor decision-making, appeals and withdrawals. She argues that looking at single aspects of the system won\u2019t work, a new overview of the whole system is required, and tackling the problems will need more and better-trained staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201c\u2026the story that emerges is not simply of an influx of asylum applications, but of operational failings, where bad decision-making has ended up creating complex problems later down the line.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August, Yvette Cooper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/4aa858c4-54da-4a4d-830e-9be193fd92e5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> a new system for adjudicating appeals, with details promised in the Autumn. Then she <a href=\"https:\/\/inews.co.uk\/news\/home-office-pays-75-bonuses-rush-through-asylum-claims-3880646\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> \u00a375 bonus payments to Home Office staff for faster decision-making, an \u201cunambiguously terrible idea\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/sonial77.bsky.social\/post\/3lxezex2zr22e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> a human rights lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Free Movement<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/freemovement.org.uk\/latest-statistics-raise-questions-around-sustainability-of-home-office-asylum-decision-making\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">points out<\/a> that, in 2022\/23, 72 per cent of Home Office decisions were passing their own internal quality checks. In 2023\/24, that had dropped to \u201can absolutely woeful\u201d 52 per cent. Its chart shows the downward trend in the backlog of initial decisions. While welcome, this is <a href=\"https:\/\/freemovement.org.uk\/briefing-the-sorry-state-of-the-uk-asylum-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">based on<\/a> \u201cpoor quality refusals\u201d and hence a backlog of appeals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-Free-Movement-data-1.png\" alt=\"Housing rights autumn 2025 free movement data\" class=\"wp-image-374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-Free-Movement-data-1.png 900w, https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-Free-Movement-data-1-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-Free-Movement-data-1-768x427.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A record 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/c10e76a3-4cf0-4e5a-bf2a-68becf0f8bd2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">during Keir Starmer\u2019s first year in office<\/a>, reflecting a surge in small boat arrivals to the country. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025\/summary-of-latest-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">figure<\/a>, for the year ending in June, marked a rise of 14 per cent from the 97,107 recorded during the same period a year before, according to data published on Thursday. It was also eight per cent higher than the previous peak in 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Latest on \u2018small boat\u2019 arrivals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it was revealed that the number of people who had reached the UK on small boats since Labour came to power in July 2024 had reached 50,000, the familiar circus of blame began, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lrb.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/august\/one-in-one-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">said<\/a> Georgie Newson in the <em>LRB Blog<\/em>. Then, in August, the number of small boat crossings fell to 55, the lowest August level since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>New Statesman <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newstatesman.com\/politics\/uk-politics\/2025\/10\/the-truth-about-the-small-boats-crisis?mc_cid=e1f152d8b8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">told the truth<\/a> about the small boats \u201ccrisis\u201d in a long article, which includes reports from Calais.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-The-New-Statesman.png\" alt=\"Housing rights autumn 2025 the new statesman\" class=\"wp-image-375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-The-New-Statesman.png 900w, https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-The-New-Statesman-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Autumn-2025-The-New-Statesman-768x427.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Conservatives have claimed migrants from small boats are \u201c24 times more likely to end up in prison\u201d. But this figure is wrong \u201con so many levels\u201d, <a href=\"https:\/\/monkdebunks.substack.com\/p\/are-small-boat-migrants-really-24x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">says<\/a> <em>Monk Debunks. The Times<\/em> was the first to report this story, shortly followed by the <em>Express<\/em>, the <em>Daily Mail<\/em>, and <em>The Telegraph<\/em>, before it became a talking point on <em>GB News<\/em> and <em>Talk TV<\/em>. But the only source \u2014 with no analysis \u2014 was the Conservative Party. However, a detailed analysis shows the exercise was an \u201ceasy manipulation of available statistics\u201d and had no basis in reality. Journalists either chose not to check the figures, or didn\u2019t bother to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use of asylum hotels is falling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The number of asylum seekers accommodated has fallen from a peak of 56,042 in 400 hotels in September 2023 to 32,345 in 210 hotels. The Home Office now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/aug\/25\/home-office-promises-big-surge-in-asylum-hotel-closures-in-new-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">promises<\/a> a \u201cbig surge\u201d in asylum hotel closures in the new year. This is set to put pressure on local council housing services. Bridget Young, director of NACCOM, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/68e5681c-5346-4e1f-8bd3-c3b16c18c300\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">said<\/a> there was a \u201creal and pressing concern\u201d that the 2023 surge in homelessness would be repeated under the government\u2019s current approach to asylum processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of <a>this month\u2019s articles<\/a>&nbsp;, by Kama Petruczenko of the Refugee Council, looks at legal developments around the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping. Simon Ricketts\u2019 planning blog, <em>Simonicity<\/em>, has a lengthy <a href=\"https:\/\/simonicity.com\/2025\/08\/20\/planning-law-is-being-used-for-politicking-about-asylum-seekers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">review of the Epping case<\/a>, which he calls \u201ca whiff of the silly season but an even more pungent and worrying whiff of political opportunism\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called on Tory-led councils to take legal action against asylum hotels after the Epping council court case. Almost one in five asylum seekers housed in hotels are in Conservative-held councils, the <em>FT <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/bbb18ba7-9f06-4952-8fc6-ac96dc8aa942\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">pointed out<\/a>. The <em>Morning Star<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/morningstaronline.co.uk\/article\/far-right-has-now-won-significant-victory-against-asylum-seekers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">says<\/a> the far right has won \u201ca significant victory against asylum seekers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, solicitor Victoria Searle said councils should be \u201cmindful of the risk of stoking civil unrest\u201d and highlighted that many councils use hotels for temporary accommodation. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lgcplus.com\/politics\/empowering-communities\/lawyer-warns-against-copycat-asylum-seeker-hotel-claims-21-08-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">told<\/a> the <em>Local Government Chronicle<\/em>: \u201cWhile the bringing of copycat claims may at first appear attractive, councils need to take care to consider unintended consequences.\u201d Nevertheless, the <em>LGC<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lgcplus.com\/politics\/governance-and-structure\/asylum-hotels-debates-continue-in-face-of-misinformation-01-09-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">reported<\/a> that West Northamptonshire and Spelthorne are pursuing similar legal action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>FT <\/em>investigated Britannia Hotels: \u201cThe company has built an empire on crumbling buildings and <strong>a <\/strong>government struggling to cope with a surge in migration.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/706898a7-5b93-40cb-9c16-a8f90f88c0a3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Free to read.<\/a>) The <em>BBC<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/ce9r5m74de8o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">examined profits<\/a> made by Clearspring Ready Homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Politico<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politicshome.com\/news\/article\/asylum-seeker-hotels-accommodation-military-sites\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">looked at<\/a> the alternatives to hotels, including barracks, student accommodation and ordinary housing, including HMOs. <em>The Conversation <\/em>also looked at <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/as-protesters-and-politicians-call-for-the-closure-of-asylum-hotels-what-are-the-alternatives-262270\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">the alternatives<\/a>. The <em>Migration Observatory<\/em> has a <a href=\"https:\/\/migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk\/resources\/briefings\/asylum-accommodation-in-the-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">detailed analysis<\/a> of asylum accommodation across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Return to the use of military barracks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to move asylum seekers from hotels into military barracks to reduce hotel use, now that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/sep\/06\/shabana-mahmood-set-to-move-asylum-seekers-from-hotels-to-barracks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">\u201cnothing is off the table\u201d<\/a> on asylum policy. The government is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2025\/sep\/02\/cooper-reeves-starmer-green-party-leader-badenoch-devolution-latest-updates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">contemplating<\/a> \u201cusing modular [i.e., pre-fabricated] buildings, on industrial sites, ex-military sites\u201d to accommodate asylum seekers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As reported in previous newsletters, the High Court has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bailii.org\/ew\/cases\/EWHC\/Admin\/2025\/596.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">found<\/a> that military barracks are completely unsuitable for many asylum seekers. Wethersfield, the ex-RAF base in Essex which prime minister Starmer promised to close, is to have its number of asylum seekers increased by more than 50 per cent, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/jul\/30\/number-asylum-seekers-housed-former-raf-base-wethersfield-essex-rise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> <em>the Guardian.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similar moves are afoot at the Manston centre, where the Home Office is planning to expand the facilities. Its planning application is being <a href=\"https:\/\/depositedpapers.parliament.uk\/depositedpaper\/2287396\/files\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">dealt with urgently<\/a>. <em>The Guardian<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/aug\/26\/people-sleeping-while-walking-inside-manston-asylum-centre-in-kent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">visited the centre<\/a> and spoke to exhausted occupants who are being \u201cprocessed\u201d after arriving in the UK. A Somali asylum seeker, Osman, told the <em>Big Issue <\/em>about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigissue.com\/opinion\/asylum-seekers-napier-barracks-life-tommy-robinson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">life in Napier Barracks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a>Kemi Badenoch <\/a>said &#8220;proper camps&#8221; need to be put up where migrants are kept safe, keeping them out of hotels. She <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/kemi-badenoch-suggests-asylum-seekers-should-be-housed-in-camps-13410173\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">implied<\/a> that, unlike in the present use of ex-RAF camps, asylum seekers would not be allowed to leave. Human rights consultant Dan Sohege <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/danielsohege.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">commented<\/a>, \u201cthe use of camps to place people seeking asylum has been shown to cause significant harm, including increasing suicides. We need the ones which exist to be closed, not more of them opened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Councils move to close off a key alternative to asylum hotels in England<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/a8be6719-6ef6-47fc-bcb1-8584c1db418f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">According to<\/a> the <em>FT<\/em>, eight councils in northern England have acted to close off the HMO route to providing asylum accommodation, an alternative to hotels. Wigan is one such council; Warrington council has also signalled that purchases by Serco affect its own ability to acquire properties to use for temporary accommodation. In Nuneaton, Home Office contractor Serco is <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/2025\/08\/fear-and-fury-in-nuneaton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">buying properties<\/a> to convert to houses in multiple occupation, causing local resentment. Presumably, there has been little consultation with the local authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a>An<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2025\/oct\/03\/tory-chair-accepted-hospitality-developer-hmos-asylum-seekers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">investigation<\/a> by <em>the Guardian <\/em>found that a Conservative Party chair accepted \u00a32,000 hospitality from a developer converting HMOs to accommodate asylum seekers. Among the revelations is that the company converted a two-bed house into five-bed asylum accommodation, presumably leaving no shared-living space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Local Government Lawyer <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk\/housing-law\/397-housing-news\/62230-home-office-targeting-student-accommodation-for-asylum-accommodation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">says<\/a> the government also plans to use student accommodation to accommodate asylum seekers. Leeds City Council received a submission from the Home Office to allow a student block to be used to house non-students. The government told the council its submission was part of a wider effort to reduce hotel use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Experience of living in asylum hotels while racists crowds gather outside<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hotels are still headline news. <em>The Guardian<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/aug\/23\/police-clash-with-protesters-as-asylum-hotel-demos-take-place-across-uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">reported<\/a> on a range of violent asylum hotel protests across the UK. The <em>Liverpool Echo<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/news\/liverpool-news\/escaped-war-torture-now-feel-32418669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">talked to asylum seekers<\/a> who feel unsafe in the city. Zoe Gardener <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/zoejardiniere.bsky.social\/post\/3lvaru7mrns22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">asks<\/a> what\u2019s it like to be an asylum seeker inside a hotel where racist mobs chant for your removal outside? \u201cWhat will it take for the frightened children to recover from this and be able to feel safe and at home in this country?\u201d Gardener looks at <em>East Anglia Bylines, <\/em>which <a href=\"https:\/\/eastangliabylines.co.uk\/immigration\/exclusive-inside-the-diss-hotel-a-refugees-view-of-the-anti-refugee-crowd-outside\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">reports<\/a> on events in the small town of Diss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTargeted by the right, Britain\u2019s asylum hotels are places of fear and disorder. Bad political decisions made it so,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2025\/aug\/09\/britain-asylum-hotels-racism-culture-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">says<\/a> Daniel Trilling in <em>the Guardian. The Blackpool Lead <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/blackpool.thelead.uk\/p\/the-metropole-closer-to-a-prison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">visits<\/a> the Metropole Hotel, which it describes as \u201ccloser to a prison than a holiday for asylum seekers\u201d. A worker at the hotel, commenting on how it affects those living there, said: \u201cTheir lives are on hold, and it is destroying them.\u201d The <em>BBC\u2019s <\/em>Sue Mitchell <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cwy8ee2w73jo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">describes<\/a> what she found \u201cbehind the doors of asylum hotels\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The myth that asylum seekers live in luxury in hotels was perpetuated by the Home Office issuing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/aug\/30\/home-office-bans-asylum-seekers-from-buying-luxury-goods-and-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">new rules<\/a> prohibiting them from buying \u201cluxury goods\u201d such as boat rentals, furs and antique reproductions. However, basics such as photocopying are also on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Full Fact<\/em> has <a href=\"https:\/\/fullfact.org\/immigration\/asylum-seeker-support-faqs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">a useful summary<\/a> of the actual financial and other help that asylum seekers receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New model for asylum accommodation to be piloted<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In more promising news, the government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parallelparliament.co.uk\/question\/HL9613\/asylum-housing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">plans<\/a> a \u00a3500 million investment in a \u201cnew, more sustainable accommodation model\u201d, developed in consultation with local authorities. This funding will support local authorities to make available basic alternative accommodation so that it can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. \u201cIn the longer term, our ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Departments are committed to continue working closely with devolved governments and local government to co-design this new model, building on the work undertaken to date. \u201cWe will be writing to local authorities shortly to update them on this new model.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a foretaste of the new approach in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cdx4rrrvg8do\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">a lengthy <em>BBC<\/em> article<\/a> highlighting the work by Kate Wareing of Soha housing, with comments by CIH.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The asylum backlog \u2014 how it was allowed to grow and how to tackle it An excellent piece in the FT by Georgina Quach (free&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Asylum: the backlog, small boats and the accommodation crisis - Housing Rights","description":"The asylum backlog \u2014 how it was allowed to grow and how to tackle it An excellent piece in the FT by Georgina Quach ( free to read ) looks at how the asylum bac"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asylum-accommodation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}