Fury in Margaret Thatcher's home town as 70 properties are converted into homes for asylum seekers

By TRACEY KANDOHLA, REPORTER and RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:28, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 00:35, 9 July 2026 Furious residents have blasted 'greedy landlords' for snapping up properties to house asylum seekers in a historic market town. Locals in Margaret Thatcher's birthplace of Grantham are angry about properties being turned into HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) for migrants moved from hotels. A senior official at South Kesteven District Council said 70 buildings have been bought so far across the authority area, with most located in Grantham - which has a population of just under 45,000.  He said councillors had been told to expect 300 asylum seekers, but this number had already been exceeded.  South Kesteven District Council said it had been granted a 'temporary pause' after complaining to the Government.  Residents told the Daily Mail that Grantham had taken 'more than its fair share' of asylum seekers and blamed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of doing 'absolutely nothing' to stop more arriving in the UK illegally.  Labour has promised to move all asylum seekers out of hotels by the end of this Parliament.  Locals in Margaret Thatcher's birthplace of Grantham are angry about properties being turned into HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) for migrants moved from hotels People wade into the sea to try and board a migrant dinghy to cross into the English Channel on June 30, 2026 in Wissant, France Your browser does not support iframes. To achieve this, they are using  private company Serco to buy smaller properties that can be used as alternative accommodation. One Grantham resident, a retired factory operative who only gave his first name, Steve, said: 'I have no problem with migrants coming over here legally to live and work and be part of the community. 'But it's all the illegal migrants flooding our towns and cities which I object to. Our Government doesn't care about the people living here, they just let in any Tom, Dick and Harry and do absolutely nothing to stop them.'  Steve has a disabled 21-year-old granddaughter, who he looks after with the help of carers.  He said: 'Our carers are from Africa, they are here legally, and they are decent hard working people and I have no problem with them. It's those coming in off the boats with no right to be here, I object to.' Deputy council leader Paul Stokes said South Kesteven was told to expect 300 asylum seekers but that 'we've already gone past that' and 'most of them are in Grantham'.  Councillor Stokes said most of the 70 properties that had already been bought were in Grantham because 'properties in the town are easier to convert'. He told the BBC: 'There was a further pipeline of properties they were looking to utilise and that has now been stopped. 'Obviously we want to help people but to do that we need to be able to control how that is done. We need to check those houses are OK to live in and keep regular checks on them.' Baroness Thatcher was born in Grantham and is immortalised by a statue in the town centre  Your browser does not support iframes. Mr Stokes said the temporary pause had been ordered after the council 'pushed back' but he did not know how long the pause would last.  On Thursday the council are set to vote on whether to introduce new controls forcing property owners to get planning permission before converting properties into HMOs accommodating up to six people. It would mirror the step taken by North Lincolnshire Council last October. Locals had mixed views about asylum seekers living in the busy small town. One young woman said: 'There are migrants here and I don't blink an eyelid at them being here, they have to live somewhere and it is a very diverse town. 'It is the same in towns up and down the country and I, personally, don't feel it is a problem.'  Groups of asylum seekers are often seen congregating on the green at St Peter's Hill near the South Kesteven District Council offices and Guildhall Arts Centre and by the imposing statue of the late Lady Thatcher. A store security guard told the Mail that he had sometimes had issues with the men.  'They hang around the green or inside the shopping centre, usually early in the morning, and we have had issues with some and have had to call the police,' he said.  'I can't go into detail because of investigations going on. 'They have been moved out of the two hotels on the outskirts of town and are being housed elsewhere locally, but I don't know where exactly.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. A pensioner couple said they sometimes saw the migrants around but they caused 'no trouble.' Conservative councillor Matthew Bailey argued the authority has taken more asylum seekers than other parts of Lincolnshire and called on the Government to do more to ensure that migrants are evenly spread across the large county.  'South Kesteven is carrying more asylum seekers than every neighbouring authority in Lincolnshire, with the bulk of dispersal accommodation in Grantham,' he said.  'It's clear with the numbers rising we are taking the strain while others take next to none. 'Residents deserve straight answers. Many are concerned about the loss of family homes and local amenity pressures. I want real transparency from the Home Office and Serco, and a fairer spread of placements nationally.' The latest Home Office data shows that the number of people in supported asylum in South Kesteven increased from 215 in December 25 to 270 in March this year - an increase of 55 people. Gareth Davies, Conservative MP for Grantham and Bourne, said he had also spoken to the government 'to raise strong local concerns.' He said: 'I am pleased to confirm that the minister has instructed Serco to immediately halt all procurement of dispersed asylum accommodation in Grantham.' The Home Office said it did not comment on accommodation sites, but had pledged to move asylum seekers out of hotels and 'into more suitable accommodation.' A spokesman said: 'This government is restoring order and control to our borders by removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain and increasing removals of those with no right to be here. 'We will close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, returning them to local communities and moving asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation, including former military sites.'