Revealed: Asylum seeker numbers rise in parts of Staffordshire - but fall in Stoke-on-Trent

The number of asylum seekers in Stoke-on-Trent has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two years. New government figures show that there were 1,189 asylum seekers living in Stoke-on-Trent in March, down from 1,279 in December.

This is the lowest figure recorded since June 2024, when it stood at 1,156. The latest total for Stoke-on-Trent includes 179 asylum seekers placed in hotels – down from 262 in December – along with 997 living in dispersal accommodation.

But the number of asylum seekers has continued to rise in other parts of Staffordshire. Newcastle-under-Lyme, with 181 asylum seekers, now has the second highest number in the county, while the total in East Staffordshire rose to 147.

The totals for Newcastle-under-Lyme and East Staffordshire are mostly made up of people living in dispersal accommodation, with no asylum hotels in either area. In Tamworth the number fell by more than half to 95, due to a big reduction in the number of asylum seekers in hotels in the borough.

The government says it is reducing the use of asylum hotels by moving people into more basic accommodation, scaling up larger sites and removing more people who have no right to remain in the UK.

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

• Stoke-on-Trent – 1,189
• Newcastle-under-Lyme – 181
• East Staffordshire – 147
• Tamworth – 95
• Stafford – 53
• Staffordshire Moorlands – 35
• Cannock Chase – 28
• South Staffordshire – 24
• Lichfield – 3