Bolton Has Seventh Highest Number of Asylum Seekers in Britain

New figures have revealed that Bolton's council area houses the seventh highest number of asylum seekers in the country.

Data from the Home Office reveals that in Bolton there were 1,020 people seeking asylum in the first three months of the year – that equates to one in every 275 members of the borough's population.

The number has actually fallen by 14 compared to the last quarter of 2015, but still places the area in the top 10 across the country.

For comparison, figures for Wiltshire reveal that there is just one asylum seeker for every 241,572 residents.

Bolton councillor Nick Peel praised the work that Bolton does to help those in need, but argues that the system for placing asylum seekers is "extremely unfair." He said:

"Responsible local authorities like Bolton have been doing their bit for years, but there is no parity when struggling northern councils are taking the bulk of people but these southern councils are not – when they have the services and infrastructure to do so.

"Councils like Bolton take the extra strain with no extra funding, whereas some of these southern areas with no asylum seekers have actually had their Government funding increased – the whole system is perverse and needs a radical overhaul."

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