Migrants staying in hotels funded by UK taxpayers have shared complaints about their living conditions, with some saying they aren’t getting enough clothing, can’t use the hotel swimming pools, or want cigarettes in their rooms. Some also said they would like access to gyms and English language classes, and others requested visits from doctors and dentists right in their hotel rooms.
One migrant mentioned he had back problems and had received some physical therapy, but said it wasn’t very effective because he only got instructions at the hotel and no medication. He said swimming helps his back pain and he used to do hydrotherapy in Iran and Germany, but now that he’s in a hotel with a pool, he’s not allowed to use it.
Another migrant complained that the food being provided is too oily and unhealthy, saying he would prefer something like omelettes. He also mentioned how isolated the hotel location is, saying it’s far from the city and public transport is limited. Still, he said he enjoys playing ping pong and going for walks, and that he misses his family back in Iran.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, strongly criticized a survey that asked asylum seekers what would improve their stay in the UK. He mocked the complaints, including the one about missing cigarettes, saying, “Poor baby.” He was outraged that migrants were being asked how to make their accommodation more comfortable while British homeless veterans get ignored. He said, “Are we giving surveys like this to our homeless heroes? No, we’re not.”
Farage also pointed out that the government paid £7 million for a hotel that was supposed to house 700 asylum seekers, but it’s been sitting empty for over a year. William Yarwood from the TaxPayers’ Alliance joined in the criticism, saying it’s unfair that illegal migrants are being treated like VIP guests while regular British citizens struggle with rising costs.
Currently, over 32,000 asylum seekers are living in hotels across the UK, and another 66,000 are in other types of government-arranged housing. But the number could rise to 100,000, according to the Home Office, due to contracts with companies like Serco, Mears, and Clearspring Ready Homes. These companies have been paid even more recently because of market difficulties, making it harder to move migrants out of hotels and into more permanent housing.
The Home Office admitted that the use of hotels was supposed to be temporary, but they’ve been relying on them for years now, and this has made it less urgent for the housing providers to expand their accommodations. The overall cost to taxpayers for handling asylum accommodation has now reached £4.7 billion per year.
Every month, Home Office officials and local council leaders meet to plan how to find more properties to house asylum seekers in different communities. The decisions on where to place people are based on things like housing availability and the impact on local services.
An official from the Home Office, Joanna Rowland, said that now, over 80% of local councils have asylum seekers in their housing, a significant increase from the previous 70%. Meanwhile, future government plans show billions more will be spent in the coming years on asylum-related housing and support.
To save money and reduce hotel use, the government is now looking into using empty tower blocks, closed-down colleges, and unused student housing as cheaper alternatives.
All of this has sparked debate over whether the government’s priorities are in the right place, especially with so many British citizens struggling to afford homes or access public services.
