The number of asylum seekers in Stoke-on-Trent has fallen to a four-year low.

New Home Office figures show that there were 1,021 asylum seekers living in the city in June, down from 1,189 in March, with none at all placed in hotels.

This is the lowest figure recorded for Stoke-on-Trent since 2022, and the first time since then that there have been no asylum hotels in operation in the city.

The number of asylum seekers increased slightly in other parts of Staffordshire – in Tamworth the figure rose from 95 to 133, while in Newcastle-under-Lyme it went up from 181 to 192. Newcastle's figure is the highest recorded for the borough, but still significantly lower than Stoke-on-Trent's, relative to population.

Tamworth and South Staffordshire were the only parts of the county where asylum hotels remain in use, with the vast majority of asylum seekers being accommodated in homes provided by Home Office contractors.

This reflects a national government drive to phase out the use of hotels, which increased dramatically after 2020 due a huge backlog in the asylum system.

Across the country there were 16,021 asylum seekers in hotels in June, a 50 per cent drop from a year ago.

The government says it will further reduce this number through faster asylum decisions and removals, and the use of alternative sites such as military barracks.

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Total number of asylum seekers in each local authority area in Staffordshire in June, 2026:

• Stoke-on-Trent – 1,021
• Newcastle – 192
• East Staffordshire – 149
• Tamworth – 133
• Stafford – 76
• Staffordshire Moorlands – 36
• Cannock Chase – 29
• South Staffordshire – 22
• Lichfield – 5