Councils in the UK may be forced to house asylum seekers in government-funded hotels after the contracts with these establishments end by the end of the year. The use of hotels has ballooned as the number of refugees claiming asylum in the UK grows. About 50,546 asylum seekers are estimated to live in about 400 hotels. Government data shows spending on hotels has cost taxpayers £8m ($10.5m) a day. Local councils may have to cover the cost because they are obligated to offer housing to refugees in need.
Council authorities have raised concerns about where to shelter refugees once they leave their temporary hotel homes. They warn that hotels are not a long-term solution and suggest that if not hotels, then where? Shaun Davies, Labour councillor and head of the Local Government Association, argues that the housing shortage and enormous demand for temporary accommodation create a severe financial strain on councils, adding to the irony that if not the hotels, local taxpayers will have to foot the bill somewhere else.
The government is ending contracts with 50 hotels and reducing the use of asylum hotels, instead focusing on housing people on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, with a capacity of 500 people. Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, says that an agreement with France and Albania and stronger penalties for those associated with illegal migration have contributed to reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving in the UK by small boats.
Council leaders express frustration at the situation. They call on the government to provide further funding for councils, especially for those struggling to deal with the pressure. The councils are responsible for providing accommodation to the increasing numbers of refugees rendered homeless after leaving hotel accommodations following the processing of their asylum applications. Asylum seekers granted refugee status, Afghan refugees from third countries coming to the UK, and Ukrainian refugees have all relied on local authorities for help. Local councils see maximum demand on temporary accommodation since records began, when council finances are stretched
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