Home Office resumes asylum housing plan in County Durham

In a letter sent to Durham County Council, the government department said it had instructed its accommodation provider, Mears, to recommence sourcing properties after a review found an additional 100 to 150 bed spaces were needed.

The procurement pause was introduced last year amid concerns about the impact of asylum accommodation on communities and expectations that planned accommodation would be sufficient to meet Durham's allocation.

However, the Home Office said those forecasts had not materialised.

The letter, sent last Thursday (July 30), said several asylum properties had also been handed back by Mears, reducing available capacity.

It reads: "We are now in the position where it is no longer possible to continue with the pause, and we have therefore instructed Mears to recommence procurement activity in Durham."

Earlier this year, Darren Grimes, Reform deputy leader at Durham County Council, accused the Government of failing to listen to local concerns and claimed the county was being unfairly targeted.

As of December 2025, Home Office figures showed 566 asylum seekers were housed in County Durham. 

In its latest letter, Home Office officials said an earlier review this year had reassessed current and expected accommodation and found that an additional 100 to 150 bed spaces would be required to replace those lost.

The Home Office said it had asked Mears to factor expected property hand-backs into its future planning so procurement was "accurate, forward looking, and responsive as possible".

It added that new properties were expected to come online "at a much slower pace", reflecting what it described as "a more controlled and measured approach to delivery".

Last June, Mears confirmed that it would not purchase any new properties for three months due to the “sufficient capacity” in County Durham. 

The temporary move was welcomed by the Reform-led local authority, amid claims that Mears, contracted by the government, was “hoovering up” properties in the region’s most deprived communities, including Ferryhill and Stanley. 

Now, the Home Office said the original decision to halt procurement had been "unprecedented" and was taken because of concerns about community cohesion, alongside assumptions that the projected pipeline of accommodation would be sufficient to meet Durham's allocated Service User Demand Plan (SUDP).

While the approach had been proportionate based on forecasts available at the time, the Home Office said the anticipated pipeline "did not fully materialise".

The letter followed a meeting with council representatives on June 24. The Home Office said it remains committed to working closely with Durham County Council, local authorities and Mears to ensure procurement activity took account of local considerations.