The head of the Home Affairs Committee has urged the government to “get a grip” on the UK’s asylum accommodation system after a report found the Home Office repeatedly cut corners in its “chaotic” response to pressures.
The government has promised to end the housing of asylum seekers in hotels by 2029 amid mounting pressure over rising costs and a backlash in local communities.
But a damning report published by the Home Affairs Committee on Monday warns a promise to appeal to popular opinion without a clear plan for alternative accommodation risks “under-delivery and consequently undermining public trust still further”.
The report says: “The Home Office has undoubtedly been operating in an extremely challenging environment, but its chaotic response has demonstrated that it has not been up to the challenge.
“The 2026 break clause and end of the contracts in 2029 represent opportunities to draw a line under the current failed, chaotic and expensive system and move to a model that is more effective and offers value for money.”
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Dame Karen Bradley, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Committee, called for the government to “get a grip” on the system and learn from its mistakes, or it is “doomed to repeat them”.
She said: “The Home Office has not proved able to develop a long-term strategy for the delivery of asylum accommodation. It has instead focused on short-term, reactive responses.”
Expected costs of Home Office accommodation contracts for 2019-2029 have recently tripled from £4.5bn to £15.3bn, after a “dramatic increase” in demand following the COVID pandemic and rising numbers of those arriving by small boat among the factors.
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The committee’s report also noted the Home Office failed to engage with communities and local residents who have “genuine concerns” over asylum hotels in their area, as well as people travelling from other areas “to promote divisive agendas or instigate disorder”.
MPs have pressed for the Home Office to prioritise closing hotels where there have been “significant community cohesion issues” – including in Epping, Essex, where demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel were held after migrant Hadush Kebatu was charged and later jailed for sexual assault.
The report added: “The lack of engagement and transparency has left space for misinformation and mistrust to grow, which in too many areas has led to tensions and undermined the ability of local partners to promote social cohesion.”
It also says the government has mismanaged contracts handed to hotels used to house asylum seekers. This includes a lack of fines for hotels that have poor performance and not claiming tens of millions of pounds in excess profits.
Read more:
Who says what on asylum hotels
Where can asylum seekers go if they can’t be housed in hotels?
A council-by-council breakdown of how many asylum seekers are in hotels
The committee has instead called for a future accommodation system to be based on fairness rather than cost alone, to improve communication with local communities and be flexible to meet unpredictable demands.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is furious about the number of illegal migrants in this country and in hotels.
“That is why we will close every single asylum hotel – saving the taxpayer billions of pounds.
“We have already taken action – closing hotels, slashing asylum costs by nearly £1bn and exploring the use of military bases and disused properties.”
