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Fact check: Which UK cities have the highest number of migrants housed in hotels in 2024?
Executive Summary
The available evidence shows that London and parts of the South East and East of England carried the heaviest burden of asylum seekers housed in hotels during 2024, with hotel use rising nationally by 8% year‑on‑year into mid‑2025 and 32,059 people in hotels as of June 2025. Public datasets and reporting paint a picture of a national hotel population that fell from a 2023 peak but remained materially higher in London and the South-East, even as totals shifted under the Labour government [1] [2] [3]. This analysis extracts the primary claims, highlights which places were most affected in 2024, and compares the different framings and dates in the supplied material so readers see where consensus exists and where questions remain.
1. Why London emerges as the headline hotspot for hotel placements
Multiple summaries in the dataset identify London as having the highest proportion of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels relative to other UK regions, with nearly half of regional asylum accommodation in hotels as of early 2023 and that concentration persisting into 2024 reporting periods. The Migration Observatory framing emphasizes the regional skew toward London, the South East and East of England, noting they rely more heavily on hotels than other areas [2]. Government and media tallies that report national hotel totals — such as the 32,059 figure for June 2025 — do not routinely break the number down by city in the supplied extracts, but the regional assessments consistently single out London as bearing the largest share of hotel placements [3] [4]. That pattern explains why statements about "which cities" most affected often default to naming London.
2. How the national hotel population moved through 2024 and into 2025
The supplied sources show a dynamic trend: a peak hotel population of 56,042 in September 2023, a fall thereafter, then an 8% rise from June 2024 to June 2025, reaching 32,059. The Home Office–summarized numbers cited in August 2025 report the year‑on‑year increase and situate June 2024 at 29,585, establishing the recent rise [1] [4]. Reporters and analysts interpret these movements differently: one thread emphasizes that hotel use remains 43% lower than the 2023 peak, framing the situation as an improvement, while another emphasizes the 8% increase since mid‑2024, framing it as deterioration under the current government [3] [1]. Both factual claims are supported by the same underlying Home Office counts in the supplied material, differing only in which baseline and political comparison they highlight [3].
3. What the sources do — and do not — say about specific UK cities in 2024
The supplied materials provide regional and national counts but do not deliver a comprehensive, city‑by‑city table for 2024 within the quoted extracts. Migration Observatory commentary and BBC/Government summaries point to London and the South East as hotspots but stop short of listing ranked city totals for 2024 in these snippets [2] [3] [4]. Secondary material in the dataset discusses hotel shelter in New York City and is not relevant to the UK city ranking question [5] [6]. Therefore, while it is correct to say London led UK areas in hotel reliance, the supplied analyses do not contain a definitive, sourced list of “which UK cities had the highest number of migrants housed in hotels in 2024” down to city‑level counts; that remains an evidence gap in the provided documents [7].
4. How different framings reflect political or methodological choices
The same data are used to support contrasting narratives: one emphasizes the long‑term decline from a 2023 peak (showing improvement), the other emphasizes a year‑on‑year rise since Labour took office (suggesting worsening conditions). Both are factually accurate relative to their baselines: comparing September 2023 to June 2025 shows a fall from 56,042 to 32,059, while comparing June 2024 to June 2025 shows an 8% increase from 29,585 to 32,059 [1] [4]. The Migration Observatory material adds policy context by highlighting the persistent regional imbalance — especially London, the South East and East — which shapes on‑the‑ground impacts irrespective of national headline totals [2]. Readers should therefore note whether a claim cites a peak, a year‑on‑year change, or a regional share when interpreting its import.
5. Bottom line and remaining evidence needs for a definitive city ranking
The bottom line from the supplied sources is clear: London and nearby South‑East/East regions had the highest reliance on hotels through 2024, and national hotel counts shifted from a 2023 peak downward before rising 8% year‑on‑year into mid‑2025 to 32,059 people [2] [3] [4]. To produce a definitive ranked list of UK cities by number of migrants housed in hotels during 2024 would require city‑level Home Office breakdowns or local authority accommodation returns not included in the provided extracts. The available evidence supports city‑level inference (London top) but not a full ranked table; obtaining the Home Office city/council dataset for 2024 or local council releases would resolve that gap.