UK Asylum Hotel Use Rises 13% to 36,273 by September 2025

The number of asylum seekers temporarily housed in UK hotels rose by 13 percent over the summer, reaching 36,273 as of September 30, 2025, according to figures released by the Home Office on Thursday. This marks an increase of 4,232 people from the 32,041 recorded at the end of June 2025, though the total remains below the peak of 56,018 in September 2023 and slightly higher than the 35,628 from September 2024.

The uptick underscores ongoing challenges in managing asylum accommodation, despite the Labour government's pledge to phase out hotel use entirely by the end of the parliamentary term in 2029. Officials attribute the rise to delays in processing claims, a backlog inherited from the previous Conservative administration that has left thousands awaiting decisions. In Scotland alone, 1,656 asylum seekers were housed in hotels as of September 30, up from figures three months earlier, with the largest concentrations in Aberdeen City (385), Aberdeenshire (332), and Perth and Kinross (197). Local authorities across the region reported modest increases in most affected areas, though many reported zero placements.

The Home Office has responded by accelerating alternative housing...