Labour has backtracked on plans to procure more accommodation for asylum seekers in County Durham.
The Home Office has agreed to extend the pause on purchasing new accommodation in the region after it had previously announced plans for 100 to 150 bedspaces.
Durham County Council criticised the Home Office for lifting the paused procurement without any consultation from locals.
Immigration Minister Alex Norris has reinstated the pause after concerns about a lack of communication around the decision.
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He added that the number of spots asylum dispersal places had not increased.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has seen a letter where Mr Norris apologised for lifting the pause.
The Immigration Minister said: "Following your engagement, I have asked the Home Office to pause any further additions to this pipeline until we can discuss this further."
He said no asylum seekers were currently placed in council homes, which are reserved for County Durham residents.
Asylum seeker accommodation has led to widespread protests throughout the country
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There are a number of potential pipeline properties maintained by the Governemnt where asylum seekers could be placed, Mr Norris said.
Mr Norris continued: "As sometimes happens, some properties in use are deemed unsuitable and need to be replaced through this pipeline"
He said changes reflected that "some properties became unsuitable".
Labour MP for Bishop Auckland Sam Rushworth said there was "no plan" to increase the number of asylum-seekers in Durham.
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The Immigration Minister Alex Norris reinstated the pause in response to Durham County Council
|HOUSE OF COMMONS
The new asylum-seeker accommodation pause came after Government contractor Mears said it would not buy homes for three months in June 2025.
At the time the Home Office felt it had "sufficient capacity" in Durham, while Mears said the pause allowed local stakeholders to "further engage" with the process.
Durham County Council's Darren Grimes in June said Mears were "hoovering" up properties in the region.
And Reform UK councillor said there the area was "already stretched" to a breaking point.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been accused of replicating a Reform UK policy which came in the wake of the initial pause
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Durham County Council criticised the Home Office for lifting the paused procurement without any consultation from locals.
|WIKIMEDIA/PETER ROBINSON
At the time, Reform UK had hoped the pause by Mears would lead to a "permanent freeze".
In February 2026, Reform announced the full scale version of its plan, announcing a British version of the US's Immigration Customs and Enforcements agency (Ice) to deport thousands.
It announced plans to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), a policy which some have accused Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood replicating by introducing a policy to "reduce" the practice.
But Sir Keir Starmer is set to water down the policy and scrap the plans to double the time required for migrants on visas to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.