Asylum seekers concentrated in poorer areas as Hyndburn rate almost four times UK average
Government figures show asylum seekers are not spread evenly, with Hyndburn housing almost four times the UK average per head and charities saying they cannot cope.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Government figures show asylum seekers are not spread evenly across Britain, with poorer areas often taking in far more people than wealthier areas. In Hyndburn, Lancashire, the asylum population is almost four times the UK average per head.
Residents said the changing make-up of their streets was pushing local families away and affecting housing and support services. One local charity said it was struggling to cope with the number of people arriving. A resident said: 'There used to be families around but now it's it's slowly slowly going somewhere There's no children. I've lived in this house and this street is completely changed.'
The government says asylum seekers should be spread fairly across the country. The report raises the question of whether the system is fair or whether cheaper areas are carrying most of the load. A charity worker said: 'We are Welcoming to absolutely everybody so anyone can come through our doors to be asked to to shoulder a lot more people coming in Just seems you know on the face of it not not at all fair.'
The human impact was also visible in the case of Tomfahl, a man who has just been granted asylum in Britain. His asylum accommodation has ended, and he was told his locks would be changed by 1 p.m. today. He went to a homeless charity with a letter and nowhere to stay for the night. He had no friends he could stay with, and the report said he would be street homeless that night.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A man granted asylum has been told to leave his accommodation and faces street homelessness. | |
| Government figures show asylum seekers are unevenly distributed, with poorer areas taking in more and Hyndburn hosting almost four times the UK average per head. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News led its morning bulletin with the story and framed it as a question of fairness between poorer and wealthier areas. It focused on Hyndburn's high per-head asylum population, the strain on housing and charities, and the case of a newly recognised refugee facing street homelessness. It included the government's position that asylum seekers should be spread fairly but gave more space to local residents and a charity worker who said the burden was not fair.
- “It's struggling to cope.”
- “There used to be families around but now it's it's slowly slowly going somewhere There's no children. I've lived in this house and this street is completely changed”
- “We are Welcoming to absolutely everybody so anyone can come through our doors to be asked to to shoulder a lot more people coming in Just seems you know on the face of it not not at all fair”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.