The number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels in Somerset has fallen dramatically over the past year, according to newly released Home Office figures.
The data reveals a major reduction in asylum seekers living in Somerset hotels, dropping from a peak of 220 people in September last year to just three in June 2026.
The numbers relate to people receiving Home Office support while awaiting decisions on asylum claims.
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Home Office data also shows the overall number of asylum seekers receiving support in Somerset has fallen significantly.
A total of 198 people were being supported by the Home Office locally in June 2026, compared with 310 in March and a peak of 396 in September 2025.
Asylum seekers can be housed in several types of accommodation.
According to the government website, initial accommodation is provided for people who need urgent housing while their support applications are processed, and can include hotels, hostels or other temporary accommodation.
Those granted ongoing support are normally moved into dispersal accommodation, which provides longer-term temporary housing while their asylum claims are considered.
Of the 198 asylum applicants currently being supported in Somerset, 181 are living in dispersal accommodation. 14 are receiving subsistence-only support that doesn't include accommodation, while three remain in hotels.
The data does not include those already living in Somerset under the Afghan Resettlement Programme, or the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
The Home Office figures suggest Somerset has seen a substantial reduction in the use of hotel accommodation over recent months while the overall number of people receiving asylum support in the county has also fallen.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
One local hotel no longer being used to house asylum seekers is the The Holiday Inn in Bridgwater, with the government confirming the change in August.
The closure means the hotel can return to its usual business or be used in another way, according to the Home Office.
A government spokesperson said at the time that asylum accommodation costs had fallen by almost £1 billion since the 2024 general election.
Immigration Minister Anna Turley said: "For too long, communities in the South West have watched hotels at the centre of their towns and cities become symbols of a broken asylum system.
"We are turning that around by ending the use of asylum hotels for good and moving people into larger, basic accommodation like former military sites."
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