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The cost of housing migrants in hotels funded by the taxpayer has risen to £200 a night - despite promises by the new Government to shut them down for good.
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cost → see → them
When he took office at No 10 in July, Andy Burnham reiterated Labour's goal of stopping the use of hotels to house asylum seekers completely by the end of the current parliament.
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Burnham → take → parliament
The Labour Government said they would repurpose old military sites, house asylum seekers in HMOs, and accelerate the claims process in order to put an end to the expensive contracts with independent accommodation providers.
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they → say → providers
But this vow has not yet been achieved, as a Home Office minister has now admitted that the bill for asylum hotels is £199 for one night as of this April - a rise of 37 per cent a night per migrant since last October, when it cost £144.98 per night.
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it → achieve → night
For comparison, the luxury Hilton hotel overlooking Hyde Park in central London has rooms priced from £217 a night.
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hotel → overlook → 217
The hefty taxpayer bill, equivalent to just under £1,400 a week per migrant, is nearly eight times the cost of housing migrants in rented 'dispersal' accommodation, such as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), where the bill is £25 per night.
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bill → house → night
The figures were revealed by Home Office minister Anne Turley in a letter to the home affairs committee.
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figures → reveal → committee
She said that the sharp rise in cost was due to the Government having to pay for empty rooms as the use of the hotels was being phased out.
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use → say → hotels
The cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels has risen to nearly £200 a night per migrant.
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cost → house → migrant
wrote: 'This figure has increased since the figures we last provided in October 2025, as hotel closures are being implemented in phases.
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closures → write → phases
As occupancy falls ahead of full site closure, the department continues to incur costs for some unoccupied rooms, which increases the average cost per person accommodated.
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which → fall → person
'
The number of migrants housed in hotels has more than halved from 36,273 at the end of September last year to 16,021 at the end of June this year, compared to a peak of 56,018 migrants in September 2023.
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number → house → September
The number of hotels in use has also dropped - from 200 hotels at the end of last September to 160 hotels at the end of June.
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number → drop → June
The news comes as the Prime Minister faced a backlash last week after announcing that migrant hotels would be exempt from his tourist tax on hospitality.
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hotels → come → hospitality
The Prime Minister had given his favoured regional mayors the power to impose an unlimited 'overnight visitor levy' on stays in hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets in England.
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Minister → give → England
And despite objections, Mr Burnham ruled that the tax would be a percentage of accommodation charges rather than a flat fee and would not be capped, with Labour-run areas likely to set it at 5 per cent.
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areas → rule → cent
At the time, a furious business group dubbed the move a 'kick in the teeth', warning it would put tens of thousands of jobs at risk while costing holidaymakers an estimated £1.6 billion.
But the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government revealed the controversial uncapped levies would not apply to taxpayer-funded migrant hotels because they are classed as 'temporary accommodation'.
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they → dub → accommodation
The move has sparked fury within the hospitality industry, with insiders suggesting the exemption created motivation for hotels to accommodate asylum seekers rather than paying guests.
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hotels → spark → guests
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has lambasted it as 'utterly outrageous' that hard-working families wanting a British holiday would be hardest hit.
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families → lambast → holiday
The Government are trying to bring an end to asylum seeker hotels by housing migrants in privately rented accommodation or former military bases.
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Government → try → accommodation
Currently there are 160 migrant hotels across the UK, while a further 73,068 are housed in other forms of accommodation funded by the taxpayer.
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73,068 → be → taxpayer
The Home Office was approached for comment.
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Office → approach → comment
The Aporia
