New figures reveal 32,059 migrants were living in taxpayer-funded hotels across the UK in June, up 8% on last year.
Data covers all 438 councils, showing huge variation in hotel usage, from hundreds of residents to none. Hillingdon in west London topped the list with 2,238 migrants in hotels.
Hounslow followed with 1,536, while Manchester had the highest total outside the capital at 1,158. Most councils reported no migrants in hotels, highlighting the uneven demand.
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Officials estimate fewer than 210 hotels currently house migrants, down from more than 400 in summer 2023. Councils say the drop reflects moves into longer-term accommodation and hotel capacity pressures.
The data emerges amid legal and political disputes over temporary migrant housing. The High Court granted Epping Forest District Council in Essex a temporary injunction to block asylum placements at the Bell Hotel from next month.
Epping Forest saw numbers rise from 28 in March to 199 by June, according to the new data. The Bell Hotel has been targeted by protests after a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Demonstrations elsewhere, including at the Britannia Hotel in Docklands, have followed similar assault-linked incidents. Up to 2,000 people protested outside the Bell Hotel last month, underlining local opposition.
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The court ruling orders the hotel to remove migrants by 12 September. Other councils are considering similar legal challenges, potentially disrupting accommodation plans further.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the ruling a "moment of relief" for residents. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described it as a win for concerned families.
Labour-run councils in Wirral and Tamworth are also exploring legal action against hotel placements.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urges 33 councils to coordinate responses, with some Liberal Democrat and Reform areas following suit.
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The pressures come as asylum applications rise, with 111,000 claims for the year ending June 2025, a 14% increase.
Only 48% of applicants were granted asylum at the first decision stage, down from 77% in 2022. The government has sought 5,000 residential units to house 20,000 migrants, aiming to reduce reliance on hotels.
Spending on asylum fell to £4.76 billion for the year ending March 2025, down from £5.38 billion the previous year. Hotels remain the most expensive option, with around £1.3 billion of £1.7 billion spent on asylum housing directed to hotel contracts.
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