Reform UK councillors are set to campaign against housing asylum seekers in UK hotels, if they are elected on May 1. Despite Labour’s “serious plan” to end the use of migrant hotels upon entering No.10 in July, the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has soared to 38,079 - up by 8,494.

Reform’s Lee Anderson has unveiled the party’s plan to end the use of migrant hotels. "Only Reform councillors elected on May 1 will campaign to put a stop to this abuse of the British taxpayer and the risk these hotels pose to local residents,” the Ashfield MP told GB News. Mr Anderson explained the “risk” that the thousands of “undocumented and unvetted migrants” pose to local communities across the country.

"This is a failure of successive Conservative and Labour Governments who have wasted millions on providing five-star accommodation to those who have often entered the UK illegally,” he told the news channel.

Despite Labour’s alleged plan to cut back on sites, asylum accommodation has continued to open. In October 2024, Altrincham was forced to house 300 migrants at its Best Western Cresta Court Hotel. Similarly, the Dragonfly Hotel in Peterborough accommodated 150 asylum seekers after the general election.

"Reform's plan is simple: detain and deport to put an end to the use of hotels to house migrants,” Mr Anderson added.

The UK’s total spending on asylum accommodation has skyrocketed up by £1.43billion since 2023/24 to a staggering £5.38billion last year, with many added costs spent on integration activities, sports coaches and befriending schemes, as the Express revealed.

Across England, Wales and Scotland, Nigel Farage’s party had 123 councillors following by-election wins and a number of defections. However, local elections on May 1 could see this number rise after Reform announced it has 1,630 candidates up for election, contesting nearly all 1,641 available council seats.

In a video on X, the party leader said: “[This is] the first time in modern history a party other than Labour and the Conservatives have fielded the most candidates. We are in the game, and we’re in it to win it.”