Borough given more funding to house asylum seekers

Blackburn and Darwen housed more than 700 asylum seekers as of March

A council in Lancashire has been given more money from the Home Office to house asylum seekers after a surge in demand in the past year.

According to a recent council report, the grant paid to Blackburn with Darwen Council has risen from £561,000 to £855,600 for 2025/26 year to cover the costs of support and housing provided by contractor Serco.

The borough has been a designated dispersal area for more than two decades, meaning it has homed and supported people both granted refugee status and those waiting for a decision on their asylum claim.

A spokesman for the council said there were no plans to increase the amount of homes available, with the extra money being used to help support the 713 asylum seekers already living in the borough.

The increased grant funding was also revealed in the report, which said the current system for settling asylum seekers had been in place for two years, and would be extended for a further year.

The grant would be used to continue helping set up tenancies for those waiting on decisions, and for temporary accommodation to move out those awarded asylum claims, the report said.