A local authority has called for the current system of housing asylum seekers in shared houses to be “urgently addressed” after it was featured in a BBC News report.

The report highlighted that Wigan in Greater Manchester has “more than 900 homes in multiple occupation (HMOs), with many housing groups of asylum seekers”, prompting the council to issue a statement.

“For clarity, this does not mean there are 900 HMOs housing asylum seekers in our borough,” the council said.

“Serco (the contractors who manage asylum seeker accommodation on behalf of the government) operates around 300 properties in the borough for asylum seeker housing, approximately 200 of which are HMOs.”

It continued: “The council has no powers or say in the number or location of these Serco properties. For completeness, Wigan Borough is made up of approximately 146,000 houses of varying sizes and types, as of 2025.”

The council added that for the last two years it has had an agreement with the Home Office that no further properties are to be procured by Serco in the borough.

“As the council has highlighted many times before, Wigan Borough is a welcoming and inclusive community, but the current system needs to be urgently addressed,” it said.

Since 31 August, every new HMO in the borough, regardless of size, now requires planning permission, the council explained. “[This] gives the council added powers to scrutinise the application and manage how many there are and where they are, ensuring no one community has a disproportionate number.”

According to the council, the majority of HMOs in the borough are run by landlords as private rented housing. These can be used by anyone from students, to care workers to office workers.

In addition, HMOs have different uses in Wigan Borough including as children’s homes,  and houses for those who are facing homelessness.