Labour has pledged to closing asylum seeker hotels by 2029 after a public backlash
13:56, 28 Nov 2025Updated 14:04, 28 Nov 2025
A protest outside the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool
The number of asylum seekers being housed in Lancashire hotels has risen, as official figures for each borough are released.
There were 36,273 people staying in such accommodation across the UK at the end of September, while they were awaiting a decision on their asylum claims. The issue has come to the fore in recent times with protests outside hotels, including several in Blackpool.
Labour has pledged to no longer be using asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament – which would be 2029, if not earlier. However the latest data from the Home Office showed an increase of 13% in the past three months, from 32,041 at the end of June to 36,273 at the end of September.
New figures reveal the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels in Lancashire, broken down by local area. There are currently 453 asylum seekers in Blackpool hotels – up by 63.
There are also 171 in South Ribble, a rise of 18. The figures show there are no aylum seekers in any of the other 12 boroughs across the county.
READ MORE: Future use of Lancashire hotel for asylum seekers ‘being considered’ after court ruling
READ MORE: Blackpool Council to ‘review judgement’ on asylum hotels after Essex ruling
Prime Minister Sr Keir Starmer said on Thursday he is “determined to close all our asylum hotels”, having previously insisted Labour “inherited a huge mess” from the Tories, blaming them for failing to process claims leading to increased numbers of people in asylum hotels. In response to the latest data, a Home Office spokesperson said there are now “fewer than 200 (asylum hotels) in use and we will close every single one” – this is down slightly on a previous figure the department gave earlier this year that there were fewer than 210 hotels in use.
The spokesperson said: “Work is well under way to move illegal migrants into military bases to ease pressure on communities across the country. And that’s why last week we set out the most sweeping reforms in modern times to restore order and control to our borders.
“We will remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to the UK and make it easier to remove and deport them.”
The Leyland Hotel was closed to the public three years ago to house asylum seekers Local authority area
The figures have been published by the Home Office and are for September 30 2025. The list reads, from left to right: name of local authority; number of asylum seekers housed in hotels as of September 30 2025; (in brackets) number housed in hotels as of June 30 2025, with the change from June to September.
Blackburn with Darwen 0 (0; 0)
Blackpool 453 (389; +64)
Burnley 0 (0; 0)
Chorley 0 (0; 0)
Fylde 0 (0; 0)
Hyndburn 0 (0; 0)
Lancaster 0 (0; 0)
Pendle 0 (0; 0)
Preston 0 (0; 0)
Ribble Valley 0 (0; 0)
Rossendale 0 (0; 0)
South Ribble 171 (153; +18)
West Lancashire 0 (0; 0)
Wyre 0 (0; 0)
Total for Lancashire local authorities (sum of current figures): 624.
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