Council ‘allowed to’ stop buying asylum-seeker housing as over 800 already live there | UK | News
A Council was allowed to stop new housing purchasing plans for asylum seekers after deciding that the Ministry of Interior has reached “sufficient capacity”. The government said that Sunderland has successfully met its targets, so that a longer term, more scattered accommodation for temporary housing managed by accommodation providers on behalf of the home office, was waiting.
Michael Mordey, the leader of the Sunderland Municipal Assembly, has now confirmed the pause to buy new properties for asylum seekers. Those in a messy accommodation can stay there until the allegations of asylum are fully determined. “It is important to take responsibility for taking the vulnerable people as serious as we do,” the working council member said.
According to the latest home office figures, 830 asylum seekers lived in a scattered accommodation in Sunderland since the end of March.
There were 30 asylum seekers for every 10,000 people living in the city, population data from 2022.
In 2023-2024, asylum support cost Britain’s £ 4.7 billion, and they went to £ 3.1 billion. Each asylum seeker hosting costs have been reported to increase from £ 17,000 to £ 41,000 in 2020.
Earlier this year, he allowed Durham to pause Durham to buy more accommodation for asylum seekers because he reached “sufficient capacity”.
Durham’s figures have increased to a great extent due to a policy change that allowed asylum seekers to be distributed more equally throughout the country.
Government figures show that there were only five asylum seekers in the region between 2020 and 2023. In March 2025, this number increased significantly to 448.
Reform British Assembly Members Darren Grimes last month, “If you think of the district Durham, the Council is low and we have some of the lowest council tax tapes in the country, and by Westminster, we see our views, values and culture for people who have no intention of sharing our culture and we need to take them.”
