#small-boat-crossings

#small-boat-crossings

Hotels housing asylum seekers became a lightning rod this summer for political and community tensions over illegal migration, and over the dramatic increase in the number of migrants arriving in Britain on small boats. Large numbers of people are still being housed in these hotels, though the government has promised to end the practice by the end of this parliament, in 2029.

This is the first data that takes into account the huge rise in small boat crossings since March. A few months ago, some people inside the Home Office had been worried that hotel use could spike as a result. But that hasn't happened. The number of asylum seekers in hotels actually went slightly down between March and June. Ministers have been trying to find alternative sources of accommodation, like regular houses and flats within communities - but those numbers haven't gone up either.