Issued by: Home Office

More asylum hotels have been handed back to local communities, ready to reopen their doors to tourists, visitors and businesses.

Thirteen more hotels have closed their doors to asylum seekers and been handed back to communities across England, marking another milestone in the government’s drive to end their use for good.

Across the country, hotels that had once shut to paying guests can now return to business as usual or be transformed for new uses that better serve local communities.

From Blackpool’s seafront to market towns across England, these hotels can once again attract visitors, support local jobs and drive footfall to nearby cafés, shops, restaurants and attractions, helping town centres and local economies thrive.

The closures form part of the Home Secretary’s major plans to restore control to the border and fairness to Britain’s immigration system.

This includes removing the incentives that encourage illegal migration and ramping up removals of those with no right to be here. It means ensuring sanctuary is provided to those who genuinely need it, but also that the burden on local communities is lightened.

Today’s announcement follows closely on the heels of 11 asylum hotel closures in April and a further 20 in June, meaning less than 160 now remain in use and tens of millions of pounds have been saved for taxpayers.

With more asylum hotels set to close, the government is instead increasing the use of larger, basic accommodation including former military sites.

In recent weeks, the Home Office announced discussions have begun to explore the use of 3 new former MOD sites to house asylum seekers.

Planning permission is currently being sought at MOD Bicester and MOD Barnham, while discussions are underway for MOD Linton-on-Ouse. Together, these new sites could eventually house around 3,750 asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, the government is seeking to extend the use of existing military sites, including Crowborough until 2030 and Wethersfield beyond 2027.

Immigration Minister, Anna Turley, said:

"For too long, communities have watched hotels at the centre of their towns and cities become symbols of a broken asylum system.

"We are turning that around by ending the use of asylum hotels for good and moving people into larger, basic accommodation like former military sites.

"This government’s reforms are overhauling the immigration system to restore control at the border, and fairness to our immigration system."

The latest 13 hotel closures are expected to save taxpayers £51 million, bringing the total expected savings from this year’s closures to £224 million. This is on top of an almost £1 billion reduction in asylum accommodation costs since the 2024 general election.

This progress stands in stark contrast to the position inherited and the peak of 2023 when 400 asylum hotels were in use at a staggering cost of £9 million a day.

Driving these closures is the Home Secretary’s programme of major reforms to fix an asylum system left under extraordinary pressure.

Since July 2024, record numbers of asylum decisions have been made, nearly 70,000 migrants have been removed, and landmark legislation will be introduced through the Immigration and Asylum Bill to more swiftly remove those who are here illegally.

From today, a new 24-week target for deciding asylum and immigration appeals comes into force for those in accommodation and foreign national offenders, slashing the current average wait of 67 weeks.

The measure will cut delays, speed up case resolution and removals, and move people through the system faster, reducing the time spent in taxpayer-funded accommodation and driving down costs for the taxpayer.

Hotels included in today’s announcement:

• Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Loughborough

• Chimney House Hotel, Sandbach

• Britannia Ashley Hotel, Hale

• Gold Thorn Hotel, Wolverhampton

• Grand Metropole Hotel, Blackpool

• Nottingham Hotel, Nottingham

• Grosvenor Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon

• Staycity Apartments Deptford Bridge, Lewisham

• Needham House, Hitchin

• Holiday Inn, Bridgwater

• Holiday Inn Express, Dunstable

• Dubrovnik Hotel, Bradford

• Best Western Brook Hotel, Norwich

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