The latest Home Office data revealed there were 32,059 asylum seekers in hotels at the end of June – up from 29,585 in June 2024.
There were 8% more staying in hotels compared to last year, however, the percentage of asylum seekers staying in hotels remained the same at 30% due to more asylum seekers overall.
Read more: Badenoch urges Tory councils to launch legal challenges
Labour came to power on 5 July last year, with Sir Keir Starmer promising to end “the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this parliament”.
June’s figure for migrant hotels was just 286 people fewer than the previous quarter, from January to March this year.
Thursday’s data is 43% lower than the peak of 56,042, recorded at the end of September 2023.
It was released just days after Epping Forest District Council won an injunction at the High Court to block asylum seekers from lodging at The Bell Hotel following a series of violent protests against them being there.
Other councils are now considering whether they should also launch legal action based on hotel owners not having planning permission to house migrants.
The latest data shows Epping had 55 asylum seekers in March, with 51% of those in hotels, but by the end of June that rose to 221, with 90% in hotels.
Total asylum seekers reaches record high
Thursday’s data shows the total number of people applying for asylum since Labour came to power reached a record high for a 12-month period since records began in 2001.
The data shows a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the year to June 2025.
This is up 14% from 97,107 compared with June 2024.
The previous record for a 12-month period was 109,343 in the year to March 2025 – covering three quarters of Labour’s current tenure.
However, the number of decisions being made on asylum claims fell by 13% in the year to June, to 134,037 – though this is still close to record levels.
Migrants who arrived in the UK in small boats accounted for 39% of the total number of people claiming asylum in the year to June.
Reform UK-led councils are looking into doing the same, two Labour-run councils said they are considering it, and Kemi Badenoch has encouraged Conservative-led councils to follow Epping’s lead.
Tory-run Broxbourne Council announced it is exploring its legal options.
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