Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 44
44
Accepted in Part
Set out and publish clear strategy for reducing asylum hotel use and delivering sustainable accommodation
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government set out a clear, credible strategy for how it will reduce the use of asylum hotels and deliver a sustainable system of asylum accommodation. This strategy should include a realistic timeframe and achievable milestones to ensure that the Home Office has enough time to implement its strategy, in anticipation of the 2026 break clause and the end of the contracts in 2029. The outcome of the pilots being conducted to inform the strategy should be shared with the Committee. The Government should publish details of its overarching strategy for delivering asylum accommodation—in the interests of transparency and accountability—and share detailed plans with key partners, whose engagement will be crucial to its successful implementation. (Recommendation, Paragraph 188)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the need to exit hotels, reiterates its commitment to do so by the end of Parliament, and states it is reviewing its long-term accommodation strategy but will not publish specific timeframes or detailed plans for operational reasons.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
As outlined in the Asylum Policy Statement, exiting all asylum hotels as soon as possible is one of the Department’s top priorities, as it will contribute to removing the incentives which draw people to the UK illegally. Significant progress has already been made, reducing hotel usage from over 400 at their peak in the summer of 2023 to 197 in use as of 5th January 2026. For safety, security, and operational reasons, the department does not comment on individual hotels or the timing of closures. We will take a balanced and evidence-based approach towards making decisions about the locations that we will use and how we will exit hotels. We will continue to engage closely with local authorities as plans develop. We do not want to be in a situation where, without an alternative ready, we start exiting hotels before it is time to do so or publish timeframes that are unrealistic and do not account for fluctuations in demand. The Home Office is committed to deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to end the use of hotels as asylum accommodation as soon as possible, and before the end of this Parliament. This is a complex programme of work that requires concerted cross-government effort and must be managed in an orderly and controlled manner. We will update the Committee of the progress in due course. We are reviewing our long-term accommodation strategy in light of the publication of the government’s recent Restoring Order and Control statement. The Home Office is working in collaboration with other government departments to deliver a range of accommodation sites, including military sites, that contribute to a more flexible estate. This will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate.