£54,000-a-year bill for each migrant put up in hotels by taxpayer

PUTTING up a single migrant in a hotel room for a year costs the country more than £54,000, shocking figures show.

- Michael Knowles

The Chartered Institute of Housing said its research highlights the "cripplingly expensive" bills paid by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers.

It urged ministers to consider giving councils grants to buy houses where migrants can stay in a bid to save taxpayers' money.

But MPs warned that would be hugely controversial for families struggling to find homes during a housing crisis.

The institute told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the "average cost per person for hotel accommodation is £54,020" but "accommodating three people in a three-bedroom house" would save "on average £150,395 per annum".

Unfair

However the Local Government Association warned "the acute shortage of housing" could push up property prices.