Rushcliffe Borough Council has set out detailed information on how asylum seekers are being housed across the borough.
The issue was examined by the council’s Communities Scrutiny Group on Thursday, 22 January, following a formal scrutiny request submitted by councillor A Phillips. A report prepared by the council’s Director for Neighbourhoods provides members with an overview of how the Home Office’s asylum dispersal system operates, how it applies locally in Rushcliffe, and the council’s limited powers within that framework.
Under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public were excluded from the briefing to councillors on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3 of part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.
Under the current national system, asylum accommodation in Nottinghamshire is delivered by private contractor Serco on behalf of the Home Office through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract. The programme houses people who have claimed asylum in the UK and are awaiting a decision on their case, often for extended periods due to long-standing backlogs in the asylum system.
Historically, the Home Office has relied heavily on contingency hotel accommodation to meet demand, a practice that expanded rapidly from 2020 onwards. However, rising costs and pressure on communities led the Government to change direction, with ministers committing to a significant reduction in hotel use. In Nottinghamshire, the Haven Hotel near Whatton previously operated as contingency accommodation but has since closed, leaving Rushcliffe with no asylum hotels. Across the wider East Midlands, the number of contingency hotels has fallen from 33 to 13.
A major shift came in April 2022 with the introduction of the “full dispersal” model, which for the first time required all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales to participate in housing asylum seekers. Allocation targets are set using a range of factors, including local population size, housing market conditions, social impact and overall viability. Areas such as Rushcliffe, which had not previously hosted asylum accommodation at scale, were brought fully into the scheme.
In practice, dispersal has relied heavily on the private rented sector, particularly larger properties with three or more bedrooms. This includes Houses in Multiple Occupation, which are already a common feature of parts of the borough, particularly in areas with high student and rental populations.
Initially, councils were able to influence dispersal through a postcode-based exclusion system, allowing areas to be ruled out on grounds such as crime levels. However, the report notes that Rushcliffe’s comparatively low crime rate meant that very few postcodes met the exclusion threshold, limiting the council’s ability to restrict placements.
In 2024, the Home Office changed the process again, moving to an individual property notification model. Under this system, Serco notifies the council of its intention to procure a specific property for asylum use. The council then has five working days to accept the placement, reject it, or accept it subject to conditions. Officers aim to notify local ward councillors confidentially and seek their views as community representatives.
However, the criteria under which a council can formally refuse a property are tightly defined and largely focused on safeguarding risks. These include evidence of a high likelihood of antisocial behaviour directed at occupants, exposure to extreme right-wing activity, lack of access to essential amenities due to rural isolation or poor transport, or situations where the safety of residents would be at risk. The report stresses that refusals must be supported by recent and relevant evidence.
As of January 2026, there are seven properties being used for asylum dispersal within Rushcliffe, six of which are HMOs. These properties currently house a total of 35 asylum seekers. Five of the properties are located in West Bridgford, with one in Cotgrave and one in Radcliffe on Trent.
The East Midlands region as a whole has reached around 59 per cent of its current asylum accommodation delivery target. Rushcliffe’s own notional target stands at 182 individuals across 214 bedspaces. This represents a reduction from earlier targets, reflecting revised assessments by the Home Office of housing availability, market pressures and social factors. There is no fixed end date for the target, as the dispersal programme is ongoing and reviewed twice a year.
Responsibility for managing the properties sits with Serco as landlord, including compliance with housing legislation and day-to-day management issues. The contractor is also responsible for arranging access to health services, GP registration and voluntary sector support for residents.
Alongside this, the council has highlighted the role of regional coordination through the East Midlands Councils Strategic Migration Partnership, which seeks to balance asylum dispersal alongside other resettlement schemes and mitigate pressure on local services.
In a bid to reduce the risk of localised problems and improve outcomes for both residents and communities, Rushcliffe Borough Council has recently launched a 12-month enhanced support project in partnership with Nottingham Refugee Forum. Funded through the Government’s asylum dispersal grant, the scheme introduced a dedicated Dispersal Accommodation Outreach Worker from December 2025.
The outreach role focuses on direct casework with individuals and families, helping them access housing advice, healthcare, English language provision and legal support, while also working to resolve issues linked to dispersal placements and promote community cohesion. Safeguarding concerns are escalated where necessary, and the project is intended to support smoother transitions into longer-term housing where possible.
The report also addresses concerns around HMOs more broadly. A House in Multiple Occupation is defined as a property shared by three or more people from different households who share basic facilities. HMOs form a significant part of the private rented sector nationally and locally, often providing lower-cost accommodation, particularly for students, young professionals and migrant workers.
Rushcliffe currently has around 200 licensed HMOs, with the largest concentrations in wards such as Trent Bridge, Lady Bay, Musters and Compton Acres. Larger HMOs with five or more occupants are subject to mandatory licensing, which requires compliance with strict safety, space and management standards, including gas and electrical safety, fire precautions, waste arrangements and minimum room sizes.
From a planning perspective, large HMOs housing seven or more people fall outside standard residential use classes and require planning permission for a material change of use. Smaller HMOs, housing three to six people, benefit from permitted development rights, meaning no planning application is required. The council noted that this limits its ability to monitor the spread of smaller HMOs in real time.
In September 2025, councillors passed a motion instructing officers to investigate the potential introduction of an Article 4 Direction, which could remove permitted development rights for smaller HMOs in future. That work is ongoing and will be reported back at a later date.
The report acknowledges that Serco may ultimately proceed with a property even if the council recommends refusal, creating reputational risks and potential challenges for community cohesion. However, the council retains its statutory powers to investigate noise complaints, antisocial behaviour and environmental health concerns in exactly the same way as for any other rented or owner-occupied property.
Financially, the council has received £24,000 in asylum dispersal funding so far this financial year, rising to £38,000 in 2024/25. The outreach worker project costs £15,000 and is fully covered by this funding, meaning it operates at no net cost to the authority.
