Lords Debate Addresses Government Plans to Transition Away from Hotel Accommodation for Asylum Seekers

There was a Lord’s Chamber debate today on the government’s plans to phase out the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Migration, and RAMP Associates, raised concerns about the current system and proposed alternative solutions to improve conditions and efficiency.

RAMP Associate Baroness Lister criticised the poor conditions of asylum hotels, citing reports detailing poor conditions, including overcrowding, unhygienic facilities, and inadequate safeguards, particularly for women and children,. She emphasised the need for urgent action to address the lack of safeguards for children, and to prevent the risk of re-traumatisation and called on the Minister to respond to her previous inquiries on this issue.

While acknowledging hotels are preferable to alternatives like large sites or homelessness, she advocated for community-based accommodation, extended move-on periods, and allowing asylum seekers to work after six months to reduce pressure on the system and improve integration. Baroness Lister also questioned whether the government plans to trigger the break clause with private providers next year to improve the system.

Lord German, another RAMP Associate, advocated for safe and secure housing that allows individuals to cook for themselves, access local support, and better engage with the asylum process, highlighting that hotel accommodation is unsuitable for both asylum seekers and local communities.

He further argued that enabling asylum seekers to work while awaiting decisions on their claims could reduce reliance on hotels, refuting government concerns about potential illegal work or "pull factors" by pointing to a lack of evidence for such claims. Lord German also stressed the need to address delays in processing asylum claims and urged the government to include effective solutions in its upcoming White Paper, including measures to improve efficiency and support for those waiting in the system.

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield, a member of the APPG on Migration, highlighted concerns about the safety of asylum seekers, citing an attack on asylum seekers at a hotel in Rotherham and the need to provide sanctuary for others fearing similar violence. He emphasised that dispersing asylum seekers to community-based accommodation would offer greater protection and should be implemented urgently.

He further noted that hotel accommodation hinders integration, exacerbating isolation and precariousness, particularly for unaccompanied children, and called on the government to consult local authorities to ensure access to support services. Lastly, he criticised the significant costs of hotel accommodation, attributing them to systemic delays and backlogs, and urged the government to transition swiftly to dispersed accommodation as a more effective and compassionate solution.