Data Sources
Every figure on Migrant Hotel Tracker is sourced from official government publications, parliamentary records, National Audit Office reports, or verified news investigations. Below is the complete list.
Why Verified Sources Matter
Public debate around asylum accommodation spending in the UK is often shaped by incomplete figures, outdated statistics, or claims that lack clear attribution. Migrant Hotel Tracker exists to cut through that noise. Every data point displayed on this site can be traced back to a named publication, a specific date, and an identifiable organisation. We believe that transparent sourcing is the foundation of credible reporting, whether the numbers are cited in Parliament, referenced by journalists, or shared on social media.
Asylum spending data carries real consequences for policy decisions and public trust. When figures are quoted without context, they can be misleading. A single annual total, for example, may obscure month-to-month trends or fail to distinguish between hotel costs, dispersal accommodation, and support services. By linking every claim to its original source, we give readers the ability to verify the numbers themselves and understand the full picture behind each figure.
How We Verify and Cross-Reference
Each source listed below has been reviewed against at least one other independent publication before being included. When the National Audit Office publishes a new report on asylum accommodation contracts, for instance, we compare its figures against parliamentary written answers, Home Office statistical releases, and established news investigations covering the same period. If a figure appears in only one source and cannot be corroborated, we flag it as unverified and exclude it from our headline calculations until further confirmation is available.
We also track how figures change over time. Government departments occasionally revise previously published statistics as more accurate data becomes available, and annual reports may restate prior-year totals. When this happens, we update our records to reflect the most recent official revision and note the change in our methodology documentation. This ensures that the tracker always reflects the best available data rather than outdated or superseded estimates.
22 sources across 4 categories. Last reviewed: March 2026. Sources are checked regularly and updated when new official data is published.
Hotel & Accommodation Costs
Asylum accommodation in the UK
Migration Observatory, University of Oxford · Aug 2025
£170 per person per day in hotels (2024/25 average); used for per-hotel estimates and food/utilities breakdowns.
https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/asylum-accommodation-in-the-uk/UK's asylum hotel bill down 30%, government says
BBC News · Jul 2025
£2.1 billion annual on hotels (2024/25; £5.77 million daily average, down 30%).
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgeqwv98d55oThe Home Office's asylum accommodation contracts
National Audit Office · May 2025
222 hotels in use; £1.296 billion annual (2024/25); per-hotel approximately £5.84 million.
https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/home-offices-asylum-accommodation-contracts.pdfAsylum accommodation support: Use of hotels
House of Lords Library · Jan 2025
£3.6 billion on asylum support (2022–23); extrapolated for 2023/24 hotel trends.
https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/asylum-accommodation-support-use-of-hotels/UK spent 3 billion pounds on asylum seeker hotels in 2023/24
Reuters Fact Check · Nov 2024
£3 billion on hotels (2023/24 annual); base for prior year comparison.
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/uk-spent-3-billion-pounds-asylum-seeker-hotels-202324-not-7-billion-2024-11-15/The TRUE Cost of Housing Asylum Seekers
Charlie Sansom (Analysis) · Jul 2025
£3.1 billion peak on hotels (2023/24; £8.3 million daily average).
https://www.charliesansom.com/p/the-true-cost-of-housing-asylum-seekersFact Check: Housing asylum seekers in hotels
Reuters · Jun 2025
£108 million monthly on hotels (2024/25; used for £3.6 million daily base).
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/housing-asylum-seekers-hotels-did-not-cost-uk-1-billion-pounds-month-202425-2025-06-20/Financial Analysis & Total Spending
Home Office budgeting and asylum overspends
Institute for Fiscal Studies · Aug 2024
£110 million planned annual asylum spend (historical baseline; contrasted with actual £5.4 billion overspend).
https://ifs.org.uk/articles/home-office-budgeting-and-asylum-overspendsNew NAO overview shows Home Office total spending on asylum
Electronic Immigration Network · Oct 2024
£4.7 billion asylum support (2023/24; £3 billion on hotels).
https://www.ein.org.uk/news/new-nao-overview-shows-home-office-total-spending-asylum-and-migration-2023-24UK asylum accommodation expected to cost three times more
The Guardian · May 2025
£15.3 billion over 10 years (accommodation; averaged approximately £4.2 million daily).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/07/uk-asylum-seeker-accommodation-costs-over-decade-triple-to-15bn-naoAsylum accommodation costs set to triple, says watchdog
BBC News · May 2025
£15.3 billion over 10 years (total accommodation).
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2720n2kkjoA council-by-council breakdown
Sky News · Aug 2025
£145 per day per asylum seeker (2024/25).
https://news.sky.com/story/government-struggling-to-reduce-migrant-hotel-use-as-asylum-claims-hit-record-level-13415697Decentralise asylum accommodation to tackle soaring costs
IPPR · Oct 2024
£41,000 per person annual (2023/24); for system-wide estimates.
https://www.ippr.org/media-office/decentralise-asylum-accommodation-to-tackle-soaring-costs-and-substandard-quality-says-ipprGovernment & Audit Reports
Investigation into asylum accommodation
National Audit Office · Mar 2024
Costs when leaving hotels (new accommodation add-ons).
https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/investigation-into-asylum-accommodation.pdfUK Asylum Hotel Costs: Verified Figures (2019–2025)
Asylum Facts UK · 2025
Year-by-year hotel costs (consolidated for trends).
https://asylumfacts.org.uk/costsAlternative Spending Comparisons
Unit Costs of Health & Social Care 2023
PSSRU / YHEC · Dec 2023
£200 per NHS GP appointment (10-15 min surgery consultation).
https://www.pssru.ac.uk/project-pages/unit-costs/unit-costs-of-health-and-social-care-2023/Paediatric Cancer Treatment Costs
NHS Specialised Commissioning · 2024
£50,000 per full paediatric cancer treatment course (chemotherapy + support).
https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/Children with cancer statistics
Cancer Research UK & NHS England · 2024
Approximately 4,000 children diagnosed with cancer annually in the UK.
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statisticsNHS Band 5 Nurse Annual Costs (Fully Loaded)
NHS Employers · 2024
£98,000 per nurse annually including salary, pension, NI, and training.
https://www.nhsemployers.org/pay-pensions-and-rewardAverage House Building Costs UK
ONS Construction Industry Statistics · 2025
£250,000 average cost to build a house in the UK.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/constructionindustryUK Homelessness Statistics
Crisis & Shelter · 2024
309,000 people currently homeless across England.
https://www.crisis.org.uk/about-homelessness/homelessness-knowledge-hub/homelessness-monitor/NHS Waiting Lists
NHS England Statistics · Sep 2025
7.6 million patients waiting for routine surgery and treatment.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Official Government Data vs Media Reports
Our source list includes both official government publications and media reports, and it is important to understand the distinction. Official sources, such as National Audit Office reports, Home Office statistical releases, and parliamentary records, represent primary data. These documents are produced by the bodies directly responsible for managing or auditing asylum spending and are subject to formal review processes before publication. They form the backbone of the figures used across this site.
Media reports from outlets such as the BBC, Reuters, and The Guardian serve a complementary role. Investigative journalists often obtain data through Freedom of Information requests, ministerial briefings, or leaked documents that have not yet appeared in formal publications. Where a media report introduces a new figure, we treat it as provisional until it can be confirmed against an official source. When media outlets and government publications agree on a figure, that convergence strengthens our confidence in the data. Where they diverge, we note the discrepancy and present the range of reported values so that readers can draw their own conclusions.
See how these sources feed into our calculations.
Methodology →