The number of asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation across Britain has risen to more than 73,000, as the government accelerates its efforts to reduce reliance on hotels and move applicants into houses in multiple occupation and former military sites.
Home Office data showed that 73,000-plus asylum seekers were living in “non-hotel accommodation” in the year to the end of June 2026, an increase of 3 per cent from a year earlier. The figure represents 78 per cent of all asylum seekers being accommodated by the state.
The latest figures predate Andy Burnham’s arrival as prime minister on July 20.
Around 17 per cent of asylum seekers remained in hotels at the end of June, almost half the level recorded a year earlier. Labour has pledged to eliminate the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by the end of the current parliament in 2029.
The shift has increased the political and local pressure surrounding sites being used to house asylum seekers.
At the end of June, 744 people were accommodated at Wethersfield in Braintree, while a further 418 were housed at Crowborough Training Camp in Wealden. The presence of hundreds of predominantly male asylum seekers at the sites has prompted protests, local opposition and legal challenges.
The government has subsequently announced plans to extend both the duration and capacity of the accommodation at the two locations.
Wealden District Council has strongly opposed the Crowborough scheme, criticising what it described as inadequate consultation by the government and an initial “information vacuum” that contributed to tensions within the community.
Resident groups including Crowborough Shield have pursued legal action and High Court challenges, arguing that the use of the military site under emergency planning powers was unlawful.
Andrew Tuck, a Crowborough resident, accused the Labour Government of “tearing the fabric of this country apart” over its handling of the migrant crisis.
Other residents have vowed to “not give up the fight”, arguing that the town has been treated “appallingly” by ministers.
Resident Marmaduke Devereaux-Astley said the community had been “thrown to the wolves”.
“This Government have thrown us to the wolves. No one’s going to come and save us, no one’s coming to help us. We are having to fight back in a David and Goliath battle against this Government because they’ve treated us appallingly.”
Michelle Lee, a resident of Braintree, said the community had been “lied to” and argued that Britain was becoming a “third-world cesspit”.
She called on Labour to deport illegal migrants rather than accommodate them within local communities.
The figures also show that the number of asylum claims fell sharply over the year. Some 86,000 claims were recorded, 21 per cent fewer than in the previous year, although the total remained above the average levels recorded before 2021.
More than half of asylum seekers arriving in Britain had entered through illegal routes, according to the Home Office. A further 41 per cent had previously held a visa or other form of leave.
Small-boat crossings accounted for almost 90 per cent of illegal entries. The five most common nationalities among those arriving by small boat were Eritrean, Sudanese, Afghan, Somali and Iranian.
Shabana Mahmood, home secretary, said the government had made progress in reducing the pressure on the asylum system.
“A little over two years into office and the asylum backlog is down, the number of asylum seekers in hotels is falling, illegal working arrests are at record levels, and deportations and returns are up markedly.
“Small boats numbers are also now falling, but we are not complacent and there is more we must do.
“That is why I have boosted enforcement on the French beaches and overseas and introduced new legislation to tackle the pull factors that draw people here through unsafe and illegal routes.
“This government is restoring control at our border and fairness to the migration system.”
The data illustrates the scale of the government’s accommodation challenge. While the sharp reduction in hotel use represents progress towards Labour’s 2029 target, the number of asylum seekers being housed in dispersed accommodation continues to rise, transferring much of the political and financial pressure from central government facilities into communities across Britain.
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