New figures from the Home Office have exposed a concerning situation as over 45,000 asylum seekers continue to reside in taxpayer-funded hotels across the UK. The data reveals a significant challenge for the government, prompting calls for urgent action and scrutiny of the immigration system.
According to reports by Express News, The Home Office, allocating a staggering £5.4 billion for asylum accommodation and support, is facing mounting pressure to address the use of hotels for Channel migrants. Approximately one-third of the migrants, totaling 16,160 individuals, have been provided rooms in London, with 5,652 in the West Midlands, 5,394 in the South East, and 5,074 in the East of England region.
This revelation has become ammunition for political opposition, with Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper declaring that the government has “lost control of our immigration system and our border security.” Cooper criticized the failure to clear the backlog and return small boat arrivals, emphasizing the strain on the Home Office budget, now facing a £4 billion shortfall.
In response, the Home Office has requested an additional £4.3 billion from the Treasury to cover the costs associated with the small boats crisis. A substantial portion of this sum, approximately £2.3 billion, is earmarked for hotel accommodations.
According to reports by Express News, Sir Matthew Rycroft, the top civil servant in the Home Office, acknowledged the challenges of budgeting in the volatile area of asylum but highlighted efforts to manage additional costs through Supplementary Estimates and efficiency savings. He emphasized ongoing steps to ensure the asylum system delivers better value for taxpayers, including exploring alternative accommodation sites and ending the costly reliance on hotels.
The opposition’s critique underscores the complexity of managing the asylum system, with ministers striving to reduce the backlog and explore alternatives to hotel accommodations. Plans hinge largely on repatriation flights to Rwanda, which has become central to the government’s strategy for addressing the crisis.
Recent figures indicate that as of December 2023, 91,350 applications made on or after June 28, 2022, await an initial decision. While this is an increase from September, the total number of people waiting for a decision has decreased by 20% from December 2022. However, challenges persist, with 83,254 individuals waiting more than six months for an initial decision.
As the government navigates the complex asylum system, the public outcry over the use of taxpayer-funded hotels for migrants remains a focal point of the debate. The mounting costs and challenges underscore the need for comprehensive reforms to ensure a more efficient and accountable immigration process in the UK.
