Residents Left Furious After Learning How Many Homes Had Been Bought and Turned Into Accommodation for Asylum Seekers in Their Area

Residents in Margaret Thatcher’s hometown of Grantham have voiced growing anger after dozens of properties were bought and converted into accommodation for asylum seekers as part of the Government’s plan to reduce the use of hotels.

Many locals say the character of the historic market town is changing too quickly, with frustration aimed at what they describe as landlords buying up family homes and turning them into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) to accommodate people who have been moved out of asylum hotels.

According to local officials, around 70 properties have already been purchased across the South Kesteven district, with the majority located in Grantham, a town of fewer than 45,000 residents. Councillors were initially told to prepare for around 300 asylum seekers to be housed in the area, but local leaders say that figure has already been exceeded.

The council has since secured what it described as a temporary pause after raising concerns with the Government about the pace of new accommodation being introduced. Officials say they want more control over how asylum housing is managed to ensure properties are safe, suitable and properly monitored before more people are moved into the area.

The Government has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels before the end of the current Parliament. To achieve that goal, private contractor Serco has been acquiring smaller residential properties that can be converted into alternative accommodation for asylum seekers.

The move has divided opinion across Grantham. Some residents believe the town has already accepted more than its fair share of asylum seekers and say the Government has failed to listen to local concerns.

One retired factory worker, who gave his name as Steve, said he fully supported legal immigration and had no issue with people who came to Britain to work and contribute to society. However, he said he strongly opposed illegal immigration and believed too many people were arriving through small boat crossings without the Government doing enough to stop it.

Steve pointed out that his disabled granddaughter is cared for by workers from Africa who are living and working in Britain legally. He praised them as hardworking people and said his concerns were not about legal migrants, but about those arriving illegally and then being accommodated in local communities.

Deputy council leader Paul Stokes said South Kesteven had already exceeded the number of asylum seekers it had originally been asked to accommodate, with Grantham carrying most of the responsibility because its housing stock is easier to convert into shared accommodation.

He explained that there had been plans for even more properties to be brought into use, but those proposals had now been paused after the council challenged the Government. He said the authority wanted to help vulnerable people but also needed to make sure housing was properly regulated and that local services were not placed under excessive pressure.

Mr Stokes added that the council had successfully pushed back against further expansion for now, although it remains unclear how long the temporary pause will remain in place.

Councillors are also preparing to vote on introducing new planning rules that would require landlords to obtain planning permission before converting homes into HMOs accommodating up to six people. The proposal is designed to give the council greater oversight over future conversions and follows similar measures introduced elsewhere in Lincolnshire.

Not everyone in Grantham opposes the changes. Some residents say asylum seekers have become part of the town’s diverse community and believe they deserve somewhere safe to live while their claims are processed.

One local woman said she did not see asylum seekers as a problem and pointed out that many towns across Britain were accommodating migrants. In her view, Grantham was simply reflecting what was happening across the country.

However, others have raised concerns about groups of asylum seekers regularly gathering in public areas near St Peter’s Hill, close to the South Kesteven District Council offices and the Guildhall Arts Centre, where the statue of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stands.

A security guard working in one of the town’s shopping areas said there had been occasions when police had been called following incidents involving some of the men. He declined to discuss specific cases because of ongoing investigations but confirmed that officers had attended on several occasions.

Other residents offered a different perspective, with one pensioner couple saying they frequently saw asylum seekers around town but had never experienced any trouble from them.

Conservative councillor Matthew Bailey argued that South Kesteven was carrying a heavier burden than neighbouring authorities across Lincolnshire. He said the majority of asylum accommodation in the district was concentrated in Grantham and called on the Government to distribute asylum seekers more evenly across the county.

He said local people deserved greater transparency about how accommodation decisions were being made and expressed concern about the growing number of family homes being converted, along with the pressure this could place on local services and neighbourhoods.

Recent Home Office figures show the number of people receiving supported asylum accommodation in South Kesteven increased from 215 in December 2025 to 270 by March 2026, representing a rise of 55 people in just a few months.

Conservative MP Gareth Davies said he had raised the issue directly with ministers after hearing concerns from residents. He later confirmed that the Government had instructed Serco to stop acquiring additional dispersed asylum accommodation in Grantham for the time being.

The Home Office declined to comment on individual accommodation sites but said the Government remained committed to ending the use of asylum hotels.

A spokesperson said ministers were working to restore control over the asylum system, increase the removal of people with no legal right to remain in Britain, and move asylum seekers into what it described as more suitable accommodation, including former military sites and other approved housing instead of hotels.