Home Office says new-build homes should never house asylum seekers
Newly built properties “should never accommodate asylum seekers”, the Home Office has said, despite plans to house up to 83 migrants in a rural Shropshire village.
These Stoke Heath plans, highlighted by Conservative MP Mark Pritchard in June, face strong local opposition from residents who argue the homes should be for local people.
A Home Office spokesman said “robust processes” were now in place to ensure new-build areas such as Stoke Heath were “never considered again”. But the development in Shropshire predates new Home Office policy advising against housing asylum seekers in new buildings to avoid social tensions.
As reported by SunLocal residents learned that outsourcing firm Serco had purchased 21 homes for refugees. Labor has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by the next election, preferring public housing and former military barracks.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood has instructed developers such as Serco not to supply housing that could be perceived as “luxury” or close to schools or nurseries.
Charlotte Khan, head of advocacy at refugee charity Care4Calais, said the new Home Office ban “has nothing to do with homes but, once again, politicians in this country treating people seeking shelter like second-class citizens”.
He added: “The people who come here to seek asylum are doing so to find safety, not temporary shelter, the majority of which are old, dilapidated old hotels, former military camps and multi-occupancy homes with very basic amenities.
“The truth is that the only people benefiting from the UK’s refugee accommodation system are the super-rich owners of companies to which the government has awarded contracts.”
Earlier this week the Home Office announced asylum seekers would be paid up to £10,000 towards accommodation and support costs once they start earning.
This is one of a number of policies aimed at tackling the migrant crisis set out in the Immigration and Asylum Bill.
The news comes as new figures show the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel in the first half of the year fell sharply compared to the same period in 2025.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, approximately 11,884 immigrants arrived in the six months from the beginning of January to the end of June.
This is 41% lower than the total number arriving in the UK at this point last year, which was 19,982.
There was also a 12% decrease compared to the 13,489 that arrived in the first six months of 2024.
This sharp decline is likely to reflect a number of factors including weather, the supply of small craft parts, Government policy and the flow of immigrants into Europe from other parts of the world.
In April, Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year deal with French authorities to pay £662 million to support beach patrols as part of efforts to reduce arrivals.
Ms Mahmood is also trying to overhaul the asylum system to discourage crossings and make it easier to deport people, including proposed changes that would make refugee status temporary.
