The regions with the highest number of asylum seekers waiting to be processed
More state-supported asylum seekers are housed in the North West than any other region in the UK, figures show.
According to Home Office data released on Thursday, 21,084 asylum seekers were located in the North West – which includes Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool – as of 30 September, 2024.
This compares to 19,922 in London, the second highest ranking region, which has a total population of 8,945,309 – more than one million higher than the entire North West region, where 7,600,126 people live.
Across the whole UK, 109,024 asylum seekers are receiving some form of state support, from the provision of accommodation to direct cash payments.
A total of 35,651 asylum seekers were being housed temporarily in hotels across the UK, according to the latest figures, up from 29,585 at the end of June – a 6,066 rise.
It is the first quarterly increase for a year, though the figure is still some way below the recent peak of 56,042 at the end of September 2023.
Home Office spending rose by 36 per cent to £5.38bn in 2023/24, the highest level of spending on record and up by more than a third in a year.
On arrival in the UK, asylum seekers are first housed in ‘initial’ accommodation if they have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently.
This is typically a hostel-type environment – but can be a hotel if if there is no availability in accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations.
Asylum seekers can seek longer-term housing and financial support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, remaining in initial accommodation while their application is processed.
If it is approved, the Home Office will move them to ‘dispersal’ accommodation, a form of longer-term housing managed privately, provided there is space. This could be anywhere in the UK.
If dispersal accommodation is unavailable, asylum seekers will be housed in what is known as contingency accommodation.
This includes hostels and hotels, as well as repurposed Ministry of Defence facilities, such as MDP Wethersfield, a former RAF barracks in Essex.
Where asylum seekers are housed across the UK
UK total – 109,024
England
Total – 94,117
East Midlands – 5,560
- Initial – 193
- Dispersal – 3,969
- Contingency – 1,398
East of England – 6,652
- Initial – 0
- Dispersal – 2,339
- Contingency – 3,777
- Other – 536
London – 19,922
- Initial – 410
- Dispersal – 5,202
- Contingency – 14,310
North East – 7,430
- Initial – 0
- Dispersal – 6,998
- Contingency – 432
North West – 21,084
- Initial – 416
- Dispersal -16,647
- Contingency – 4,021
South East – 6,846
- Initial – 0
- Dispersal – 2,800
- Contingency – 4,046
South West – 4,201
- Initial – 0
- Dispersal – 2,091
- Contingency – 1,861
- Other – 249
West Midlands – 11,934
- Initial – 83
- Dispersal – 8,061
- Contingency – 3,790
Yorkshire and The Humber – 10,488
- Initial – 230
- Dispersal – 7,619
- Contingency – 2,639
Northern Ireland
Total – 2,632
- Initial – 39
- Dispersal – 2,244
- Contingency – 349
Scotland
Total – 5,991
- Initial – 197
- Dispersal – 4,129
- Contingency – 1,665
Wales
Total – 3,441
- Initial – 137
- Dispersal – 3,212
- Contingency – 92
Region not available – 2,843
Labour entered government in July pledging to reform the asylum system and end the use of hotels, which cost an estimated £15m a day.
Overall, net migration hit a record of 906,000 last year with Sir Keir Starmer pledging to bring down the numbers immediately whilst accusing the Tories of running “an open borders experiment”.
Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street, Sir Keir said: “Failure on this scale isn’t just bad luck. It isn’t a global trend or taking your eye off the ball.
“No, this is a different order of failure. This happened by design, not accident.
“Policies were reformed deliberately to liberalise immigration. Brexit was used for that purpose, to turn Britain into a one-nation experiment in open borders.”
As part of plans to try and reduce numbers, the UK Government signed a deal with Iraq to return migrants and tackle people smuggling.
The UK will pay Iraq £500,000 to train local law enforcement in border security, and to support projects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, including a new taskforce, to combat people smuggling.
The cash includes £300,000 to help Iraq build capacity to tackle organised crime including around immigration and illegal drug flows, as well as communications campaigns in the country to combat people smugglers’ advertising their services.
Cooper told reporters: “The work to stop smuggler gangs doesn’t start on the French coast. We have to work upstream with other governments, with other law enforcement.
“These criminal gangs operate across borders as well. I’ve been talking to the Iraqi government about increasing our returns co-operation and increasing returns because, again, we’ve been very clear that the rules need to be properly respected and enforced.”
In the year to June, 3,002 Iraqis arrived on small boats but only 26 were deported, while a further 193 agreed to return home voluntarily.
