Sep 22, 2025 02:19 AM
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/...s-32462772
EXCERPTS: "The large-scale use of hotels came about because Home Office decision-making stalled during the pandemic and a backlog built up," a spokesperson for GMIAU said. "After the pandemic, the Home Office continued to fail to make decisions on cases throughout 2022.
"And then the last government introduced further delays through the Illegal Migration Act in 2023, which effectively barred most people seeking sanctuary from claiming asylum."
Several sources told the Manchester Evening News that the number of asylum seekers who required housing while their claims were being processed had become so high because of this backlog that there was a 'supply issue' when it came to accommodation, leading to the use of hotels.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office - which has a legal obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute - can move people to alternatives such as hotels and other large sites, like former military bases. Private companies are contracted to procure and manage accommodation, with Serco holding the contract for the North West.
Once an asylum claim is approved, councils become responsible for housing those who are evicted from Home Office accommodation.
According to Coun Craig, using hotels to house asylum seekers was a 'mistake' all along. The GMIAU agrees, pointing out that hotels are 'hyper visible' and in the public eye, making the prospect of these hotels becoming the centre of protests 'highly predictable'.
[...] Asylum seekers living in hotels are typically offered three meals a day as well as a weekly allowance of £9.95 a week per person. Those who are living in accommodation where food it not provided receive £49.18 a week. They have no legal right to work. [...] "These are cheap hotels that have been procured and I think that tells you all you need."
[...] The government has pledged to end the use of hotels as asylum accommodation by the end of this Parliament - 2029 at the latest. For this plan to work, asylum claims must be processed fast enough so that fewer people need to be housed at any one time.
Those who have their application approved are often housed by the local council in the area where they receive the decision - unless they can afford to rent privately - while asylum seekers who have their claims rejected will no longer have a right to remain in the UK.
[...] "The government’s efforts to speed up the appeals system does not address the root cause of the problem, which is poor decision making by the Home Office."
"The way to reduce hotel use would be to make high-quality decisions in a timely manner, so that people seeking sanctuary can get on with their lives and settle in our communities," the spokesperson added.
So where will asylum seekers be housed if hotels are no longer used as accommodation? With fewer people waiting for a decision, the hope is that asylum seekers could be housed in family homes or house of multiple occupation, as they historically have been.
However, the government has also spoken about using military and industrial sites, instead of hotels, as temporary accommodation. The most important thing for local leaders in Greater Manchester though, is that the distribution of asylum seekers becomes fairer... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: "The large-scale use of hotels came about because Home Office decision-making stalled during the pandemic and a backlog built up," a spokesperson for GMIAU said. "After the pandemic, the Home Office continued to fail to make decisions on cases throughout 2022.
"And then the last government introduced further delays through the Illegal Migration Act in 2023, which effectively barred most people seeking sanctuary from claiming asylum."
Several sources told the Manchester Evening News that the number of asylum seekers who required housing while their claims were being processed had become so high because of this backlog that there was a 'supply issue' when it came to accommodation, leading to the use of hotels.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office - which has a legal obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute - can move people to alternatives such as hotels and other large sites, like former military bases. Private companies are contracted to procure and manage accommodation, with Serco holding the contract for the North West.
Once an asylum claim is approved, councils become responsible for housing those who are evicted from Home Office accommodation.
According to Coun Craig, using hotels to house asylum seekers was a 'mistake' all along. The GMIAU agrees, pointing out that hotels are 'hyper visible' and in the public eye, making the prospect of these hotels becoming the centre of protests 'highly predictable'.
[...] Asylum seekers living in hotels are typically offered three meals a day as well as a weekly allowance of £9.95 a week per person. Those who are living in accommodation where food it not provided receive £49.18 a week. They have no legal right to work. [...] "These are cheap hotels that have been procured and I think that tells you all you need."
[...] The government has pledged to end the use of hotels as asylum accommodation by the end of this Parliament - 2029 at the latest. For this plan to work, asylum claims must be processed fast enough so that fewer people need to be housed at any one time.
Those who have their application approved are often housed by the local council in the area where they receive the decision - unless they can afford to rent privately - while asylum seekers who have their claims rejected will no longer have a right to remain in the UK.
[...] "The government’s efforts to speed up the appeals system does not address the root cause of the problem, which is poor decision making by the Home Office."
"The way to reduce hotel use would be to make high-quality decisions in a timely manner, so that people seeking sanctuary can get on with their lives and settle in our communities," the spokesperson added.
So where will asylum seekers be housed if hotels are no longer used as accommodation? With fewer people waiting for a decision, the hope is that asylum seekers could be housed in family homes or house of multiple occupation, as they historically have been.
However, the government has also spoken about using military and industrial sites, instead of hotels, as temporary accommodation. The most important thing for local leaders in Greater Manchester though, is that the distribution of asylum seekers becomes fairer... (MORE - missing details)