# The UK city on the brink of refusing to accept any more asylum seekers

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-uk-city-on-the-brink-of-refusing-to-accept-any-more-asylum-seekers/
- Published: 2026-11-07T07:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T07:20:57+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Express (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2264047/uk-city-asylum-seeker-dispersal-crisis
- Topics: UK, World

## Key points

- Sunderland’s council leader wants asylum dispersals to the city stopped.
- He cites rising asylum numbers and intense competition for housing.
- The Home Office controls dispersal and had not replied to his request.

## Summary

Sunderland council leader Chris Eynon has urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to stop asylum dispersals to the city, arguing that local housing demand and services are already under heavy pressure. He says Sunderland is not hostile to asylum seekers, but believes the city receives more than its share and wants local residents’ housing needs addressed.

Eynon says the city’s asylum seeker population rose by 550% from 2015 to 2025, while its housing waiting list grew by 523%. He cites 1,991 homes becoming available in 2025–26 and attracting 340,000 bids, and says Sunderland accounts for 0.4% of the UK population but accommodates 0.9% of people receiving asylum support. The Home Office controls dispersal decisions; the council can request a pause but cannot impose one, and had not received a response to Eynon’s letter sent on 13 October.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.