Record number of asylum seekers in Chichester living in hotels

Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and are not able to support themselves independently.

They are housed in hotels if there is not enough space in the accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations.

Home Office figures show 201 asylum seekers were housed temporarily in hotels in Chichester at the end of December.

It was up from 148 at the end of September and the highest figure since local records began in 2022.

Across the UK, 38,079 asylum seekers were being housed temporarily in hotels at the end of last year, up from 35,651 at the end of September.

This is the second quarterly rise in a row, but still some way below the recent peak of 56,042 at the end of September 2023.

The rise comes as the Government plans to close nine more asylum hotels by the end of March, saying it was making progress on reducing the backlog.

The figures also show some 108,138 people applied for asylum in the UK last year – the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Marley Morris, from the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, said: "If the Home Office wants to end the use of hotels, it will need to double down on efforts to improve the speed and quality of decision-making.

"Applications should be triaged early and decisions for high-grant nationalities should be streamlined."

There were 124,802 people waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application at the end of December – down 6% from 133,409 at the end of September.

Mubeen Bhutta, director of policy, research and advocacy for the British Red Cross, said: "Behind today's numbers are real men, women and children who have been forced to flee their homes. Too many are making perilous journeys to find safety, because they have no other option."

She added the Government must create more safe routes to prevent people taking dangerous journeys to reach the UK.

"Without them, efforts to protect vulnerable people are unlikely to be effective," she said.

A No 10 spokesman said the Government has set up a Border Security Command, increased return figures and produced plans for a "world-first" smuggling sanctions regime.

But shadow home secretary Chris Philp said that with "no deterrent" the figures are "no surprise".

He added: "Despite promising to end hotel usage for asylum seekers, the numbers have gone up again and they are costing Britons dear."