Government backtracks over asylum-seeker housing

The government has backtracked over plans to buy houses for asylum seekers to live in after pressure from MPs.

A group of County Durham politicians said the Home Office agreed to extend the pause on purchasing accommodation in the region after previously announcing plans to procure an additional 100 to 150 bedspaces.

It comes after Durham County Council criticised the Home Office for reportedly lifting the paused procurement plan without consultation.

Immigration Minister Alex Norris reinstated the pause amid concerns about a lack of communication around the decision and said the region's agreed number of asylum dispersal places has not increased.

In a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Norris said: "I apologise that you were not informed of this change earlier.

"Following your engagement, I have asked the Home Office to pause any further additions to this pipeline until we can discuss this further."

Norris confirmed that no asylum seekers were housed in council homes, which remain reserved for County Durham residents.

The government said its contractor Mears maintained a pipeline of potential properties, consulting with the local authority before any procurement.

"As sometimes happens, some properties in use are deemed unsuitable and need to be replaced through this pipeline," Norris continued.

The minister maintained there was no change in Durham's allocation and that changes reflected that "some properties became unsuitable".

MP for Bishop Auckland Sam Rushworth said "to be absolutely clear, there is no plan to increase the number of asylum-seekers allocated to Durham".

Last June, housing provider Mears confirmed it would not purchase any new properties for three months due to the "sufficient capacity" in County Durham.

The temporary move was welcomed by the Reform-led local authority amid claims that Mears was "hoovering up" properties in the region's most deprived communities, including Ferryhill and Stanley.

As of December 2025, there were 566 asylum seekers housed in County Durham, which is home to about 500,000 people, according to latest Home Office statistics.

There are currently more than 10,000 people on the council's housing waiting list, with only 3,000 homes available each year.

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