Luton council blasts Home Office for taking "advantage of compassion" as over 100 asylum seekers placed in hotels
Luton council says the government is taking advantage of Luton’s compassion as figures show more than 100 asylum seekers were living in hotels in the town at the end of last year.
Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or appeal and are not able to support themselves independently.
They are housed in hotels if there is not enough space in the accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations.
Home Office figures show 115 asylum seekers were housed temporarily in hotels in Luton at the end of December. It was up slightly from 113 at the end of September.
A spokesperson for Luton Council said: “Luton has, and always will be, a caring and compassionate town, with our communities, public sector organisations and voluntary sector partners welcoming and supporting those seeking sanctuary in this country after fleeing conflict, disaster, discrimination and dangerous war zones around the world.
“However, it is clear that the Home Office has taken advantage of this compassion by placing a disproportionately high number of asylum seekers in Luton compared to other places across the country. This not only places additional pressures on our already strained local services, but it also puts the welfare of vulnerable asylum seekers at risk by placing them in accommodation that is completely unsuitable for prolonged periods of time.
Across the UK, 38,079 asylum seekers were being housed temporarily in hotels at the end of last year, up from 35,651 at the end of September.
This is the second quarterly rise in a row, but still some way below the recent peak of 56,042 at the end of September 2023.
The rise comes as the Government plans to close nine more asylum hotels by the end of March, saying it was making progress on reducing the backlog.
The figures also show 108,138 people applied for asylum in the UK last year – the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Marley Morris, from the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, said: "If the Home Office wants to end the use of hotels, it will need to double down on efforts to improve the speed and quality of decision-making.
"Applications should be triaged early and decisions for high-grant nationalities should be streamlined."
There were 124,802 people waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application at the end of December – down 6% from 133,409 at the end of September.
Mubeen Bhutta, director of policy, research and advocacy for the British Red Cross, said: "Behind today's numbers are real men, women and children who have been forced to flee their homes. Too many are making perilous journeys to find safety, because they have no other option."
She added the Government must create more safe routes to prevent people taking dangerous journeys to reach the UK.
A No 10 spokesman said the Government has set up a Border Security Command, increased return figures and produced plans for a "world-first" smuggling sanctions regime.
The council’s spokesperson added: “We continue to raise our concerns with central government and are working closely with the Home Office to ensure there is a fairer distribution of asylum placements across the Eastern Region.”