The full list of areas open to putting asylum seekers in new council houses - Is yours one of them?

Brighton & Hove, Hackney, Peterborough, Thanet and Powys all expressed an interest at the end of last year.

The scheme, which is being rolled out to assist the Home Office in closing all 198 remaining asylum hotels, has already triggered a Red Wall revolt for Sir Keir Starmer.

Labour MPs Graham Stringer and Jonathan Brash have spoken out against the proposed plan to build 900 council homes by refurbishing derelict buildings in areas selected to join the scheme.

GB News has now been told 17 local authorities expressed an interest or requested more information about participating in the £500million pilot scheme.

Barnet, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, Cheltenham, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Suffolk, Folkestone & Hythe, Medway, Moray, North Devon, Oxford, the Highlands, and West Oxfordshire have all explored participation.

GB News understands the Home Office did not shortlist Barnet, East Riding of Yorkshire, Folkestone & Hythe, Medway, or Moray for its pilot scheme.

Meanwhile, Cheltenham, the Highlands and North Devon did not receive further information about their respective bids.

Oxford City Council opted to discuss an element of the scheme but its bid is no longer being considered by the Home Office.

Nearby West Oxfordshire also held exploratory discussions that are now inactive, while Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole was awaiting further information before making a bid.

East Suffolk is also believed to have submitted a request setting out how it would utilise the pilot scheme's funding.

It is understood around 200 councils have expressed interest in joining the £500million pilot scheme that would fund building homes or refurbishing derelict sites for asylum seekers.

However, only 154 local authorities categorically ruled out showing an interest in the scheme when approached by GB News.

A further nine councils confirmed they were not participating in the scheme.

Bridgend, Conwy, Gwynedd, the Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Pembrokeshire, the Scottish Borders, and Southampton all declined to provide comment, instead suggesting GB News should contact the Home Office.

The Home Office did not respond to GB News's request for clarification.

A total of 159 councils also failed to respond to GB News's approach for comment.

The People's Channel also understands the Home Office approached all 32 local authorities in Scotland about the scheme, with similar overtures being made to all 11 councils in Essex.

Meanwhile, Bassetlaw District Council was reportedly approached about a similar scheme by a third party but will not be participating.

However, 33 local authorities said the policy was not applicable due to it not holding housing status, including all 11 councils in Northern Ireland and England’s 21 county councils.

Critics fear the plan would also add further pressure to the UK’s social housing waiting lists, which included 1.3 million families in 2025.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told GB News: "This scheme is madness.

"When housing waiting lists are at record levels for people who have lived their whole lives here, this weak Government plans to build council houses for illegal immigrants.

"Most asylum claims come from illegal immigrants - and illegal immigrants should be urgently deported, not given asylum and a council house.

"Giving illegal immigrants council housing is an insult to tens of thousands of British citizens who have lived here their whole lives and paid taxes, and yet who cannot get a council house or who are homeless - including veterans.

"Why is this Government treating illegal immigrants better than veterans? This Labour Government is weak and it’s a disgrace."

Reform UK's Chief Whip Lee Anderson added: "In places like Ashfield, we've got nearly 7,000 Ashfield people on the waiting list for a council house.

"I've been to see my council to make sure they're not on this list, and they assure me that they're not on this list.

"They've not shown any interest or expressed any interest. I don't want them in my patch or anywhere in Nottinghamshire."

The Home Office is frantically searching for alternatives to asylum hotels after the controversial scheme cost taxpayers £2.1billion in the year to March 2025, including moving migrants into former military barracks or homes of multiple occupancy.

However, protests have taken place outside former military bases, including in Crowborough and Wethersfield.

A manhunt has been launched for a Syrian asylum seeker staying at RAF Wethersfield after Adnani Mohammed failed to turn up at Colchester Magistrates' Court for attacking two security guards.

The Home Office is also facing a challenge to get a grip of the migrant crisis after Sir Keir welcomed more asylum seekers coming over from France than any other Prime Minister.

GB News last month revealed that 65,840 asylum seekers have crossed the Channel since July 2024, including 41,474 last year, 23,242 during Labour's first six months in power and more than 200 under the "one-in, one-out" scheme.

A Government spokesman previously said: "New council housing will not be used by asylum seekers under any circumstances.

"This Government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with military sites brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs."

However, ex-Housing Secretary Angela Rayner opened the door to housing asylum seekers in council houses in August 2024, reportedly abandoning plans to prioritise long-term British citizens over illegal migrants.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government last month admitted it is illegal for asylum seekers to access social housing.