Councils in Northern England Push Back Against Migrant Housing - This Could be Death Knell of Starmer and Labour

British citizens demonstrate at housing illegal migrants in local hotel

As the government vows to phase out the use of hotels for asylum seekers following a summer of anti-immigration protests, alternative housing arrangements in northern England are drawing criticism of their own. Migrant housing is a huge flashpoint essentially leading to the straw that breaks the camel's back if you talk to many ordinary British Citizens outside of London.

A growing number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), properties rented out to unrelated individuals sharing facilities, are being used to accommodate asylum seekers while their cases are processed. They are also commonly used to house ex-offenders, homeless individuals, and those struggling with addiction.

However, this increase has sparked strong resistance in poorer northern communities, with local councils like Hull, Middlesborough, Sunderland, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester warning of negative effects on neighbourhoods. Over the past six months, at least eight councils have introduced or proposed tougher planning controls on HMOs.

Wigan Council, for instance, has seen a 166% rise in larger HMOs since 2021, and although it does not explicitly blame asylum policies, it cites residents’ growing concerns about antisocial behaviour, parking problems, crime, and declining community cohesion.

Local Labour MPs have also voiced alarm. Josh Simons, representing Makerfield, said residents clearly see private contractors buying up cheaper housing in working-class neighbourhoods while wealthier areas remain largely untouched. “It creates a sense that poorer communities are carrying the burden,” he noted, adding that this has deepened feelings of social inequality.

The Home Office relies on HMOs as an alternative to controversial asylum hotels, which have repeatedly drawn protests and legal challenges. Recently, Epping Forest District Council even secured a court order to close one such hotel housing 138 asylum seekers.

Critics argue, however, that dispersing migrants across HMOs may cause even more disruption, as individuals are spread throughout residential areas rather than concentrated in one location. Planning experts warn this approach strains local services, inflates rents, and undermines efforts to maintain community stability.

Companies contracted by the government, such as Mears and Serco, have been aggressively purchasing or leasing properties to meet housing demands, competing directly with councils that are struggling to secure accommodation for homeless families. Warrington Council, for example, accused Serco of inflating rental prices and making it harder for local authorities to fulfil their housing responsibilities.

The debate has also become a political flashpoint. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has repeatedly tied the issue of HMOs to immigration and crime, arguing that such housing poses risks to community safety, particularly for women. The party has campaigned to impose stricter planning requirements, and in some northern constituencies has already succeeded in unseating Labour candidates on this issue.

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