Bristol Conservative Councillor Jonathan Hucker is attempting to raise the controversial issue of housing migrants in hotels (including those in the city) at the next meeting of the Full Council, to be held on Tuesday, 9th September.
As of March, this year, 32,345 asylum seekers were using this form of accommodation (six times more expensive than alternatives such as shared rental or dispersal units) costing £1.4bn annually.
Critics of this Government policy argue that such an approach is unaffordable, unsustainable, and fundamentally undemocratic in that local communities have been denied any say or consent towards its application.
Nationally, in response to an issue which is creating something of a political and financial crisis, the Conservatives have published a draft ‘Deportation Bill’ proposals which seeks to address the main failings of the current immigration system.
These measures include:- introducing an annual cap on permitted migration numbers; doubling residency requirements; disapplying the Human Rights Act provisions in relation to immigration matters; and strengthening deportation powers for foreign born criminals.
Now, Cllr Hucker has submitted a motion which calls for support for the Conservative Party initiative and urges change in housing allocation together with greater community input or consultation.
Cllr Hucker (Stockwood) said: “Leaving aside legal niceties over the actual status of those who gain entry to our country through unregulated means, it is obvious to most people that the existing management of this issue has failed.
“If anything, the escalating costs and growing demand shows that this problem is only getting worse under the Labour Government. The apparent unwillingness of politicians to take meaningful action is fuelling community tensions and leading to public protest.
“The UK’s asylum system must be firm and fair – neither or which can be said to be the case under our current arrangements. To quote one former Labour Minister, the Home Office in this regard is still ‘not fit for purpose’.
“Moreover, housing thousands of people in taxpayer funded hotels (32,059 as of June 2025) is completely unaffordable, unrealistic, and patently unsustainable
“Whilst the propriety of using hotels for this purpose is subject to High Court appeal and awaits further clarification, radical change is urgently needed to address new economic and practical realities.
“Legislation based on the draft Deportation Bill provisions would correct many of the more obvious shortcomings in dealing with modern illegal or irregular migration flows. These are ideas which deserve to be debated and if necessary refined not simply dismissed, disparaged or ignored.”
