Contractor Says 83, Not 121, Asylum Seekers Earmarked for Stoke Heath

The clarification sharpens a local row over a Home Office dispersal plan that tests whether small rural communities can absorb planned moves from hotel accommodation.

Overview

The plan was first raised in Parliament by MP Mark Pritchard and reported publicly last week, prompting alarm in Stoke Heath that initially centred on a reported figure of 121 people.
Serco, the company tasked with housing asylum seekers, issued a statement saying a maximum of 83 people had been earmarked for the village and that it places people only under Home Office instruction.
The Home Office defended the approach as part of a national effort to move asylum seekers out of hotels and across local areas, saying it consults local authorities about placements.
Shropshire Council has written formally to the Home Office to register strong opposition and local residents have organised meetings and voiced safety and service-capacity concerns.
The dispute highlights how dispersal decisions work in practice: the Home Office sets allocations, contractors implement placements, and rural councils and police leaders may challenge suitability or demand greater local input.