UK Taxpayers Face £4 Million Daily Bill for Asylum Hotels

The cost of housing migrants in the UK has tripled to an estimated £4.6 million per day, with total expenditures on asylum accommodation expected to reach £15.3 billion over the next decade, far exceeding the original forecast of £4.5 billion. This surge in spending is driven by a rise in Channel crossings and asylum claims, with approximately 38,000 migrants housed in hotels and many more in dispersed accommodations across the country. The increased financial burden has led to political fallout, with the Reform UK party gaining support partly due to public dissatisfaction over government spending on asylum hotels amid broader spending cuts. Major contractors such as Clearsprings Ready Homes, Mears Group, and Serco have reportedly earned nearly £400 million in profits over five years from these contracts, raising concerns about the profitability of asylum accommodations. The National Audit Office and the Home Affairs Committee have criticized the government's limited control over rising costs and called for scrutiny of the quality and management of asylum housing services. Despite government claims of progress, the situation remains politically and financially contentious, with doubts about the effectiveness of current policies to manage migration and asylum seeker accommodation.