In June 2025, Durham County Council (DCC) stopped the purchase of new housing for asylum seekers. The Home Office stated multiple reasons for this decision; the county had reached sufficient capacity, and there were concerns about community cohesion. The Home Office called this decision "unprecedented".
... potential houses for asylum seekers now need to go through the planning system, allowing residents to scrutinise and, potentially, object to proposals.
In response to the change, Reform led DCC bought in an Article 4 Direction on 17th August, aiming to control new Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). The article removes the rights for family homes to be converted into non-student HMOs without planning permission. This is the route usually taken when homes are converted to house asylum seekers. Therefore, potential houses for asylum seekers now need to go through the planning system, allowing residents to scrutinise and, potentially, object to proposals. Additionally, applications for HMOs will be rejected if family homes are left ‘sandwiched’ between two HMOs, and there will be a 10% limit for the number HMOs within 100metres.
The decision has been heavily criticised for a range of reasons and sparked debate in the county.
Cllr. Darren Grimes, Deputy Chair of DCC, argued that housing of asylum seekers disproportionately impact deprived communities, rather than affluent areas. On GB news, the Reform Councillor stated that "they are not moving into your nice part of the world in London. They are being moved in next door to working class people, in areas like County Durham, who have lives that are hard enough as it is".
... contractors, like Mears, buy private homes which are converted to house asylum seekers.
Asylum seekers are not placed in council houses. Instead, contractors, like Mears, buy private homes which are converted to house asylum seekers. Therefore, there are often more asylum seekers in less expensive areas, where properties are cheaper to buy, such as Stanley and Ferryhill in County Durham.
Burnham has also raised similar concerns about where asylum seekers are placed by the Home Office. In August, the PM made a plea for all parts of the county to "play their part", to ensure that accommodation for asylum seekers is not simply located in areas where it is cheapest.
There are also concerns about new housing for asylum seekers adding to the already high demand for housing in the county.
Durham Says No, a local campaign against the new housing for asylum seekers, highlights that more than 10,000 people are waiting for social housing in County Durham and only 3,000 homes become available each year, according to the council. However, waiting lists for social housing will not be affected; Mears uses private properties, not social housing, when finding homes for asylum seekers.
Andy Durma, Chief Executive of West End Refugee Service, highlights that "people seeking asylum are not responsible for the housing crisis and, importantly, they do not choose where the Home Office places them". More importantly, he emphasises the futile nature of this divisive rhetoric; "turning one group of people in need of housing against another will not create a single new home’.
It is worth noting that County Durham does not take on an overwhelming number of asylum seekers, when compared with the rest of the country. As of March 2026, there were 578 asylum seekers living in County Durham, according to the Home Office.
... welcoming asylum seekers into their new local community and providing broader support is crucial. N.E.S.T...
North East Solidarity and Teaching (N.E.S.T) is a Newcastle University Student Union initiative which works to support and empower refugees and asylum-seekers in the North-East through education. When asked about the recent changes in County Durham, the initiative highlights that welcoming asylum seekers into their new local community and providing broader support is crucial. N.E.S.T emphasises that "having somewhere to live is just the starting point. It’s also about making sure people feel welcome, can settle in and have the chance to become part of the community around them".