- Immigrant Times
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
NORTHALLERTON
A Yorkshire town shows how refugees and local people can thrive together
Northallerton has become a role model for other English towns in how to welcome asylum-seeking families
By The Immigrant Times
Asylum seekers in Northallerton received surprise Christmas gifts thanks to the initiative of a local teacher and former refugees now settled in the area. Ivana Gardner, an adult learning service teacher with North Yorkshire Council, collected dozens of presents from neighbours and friends, including books, chocolates, biscuits and toys, and wrapped them with the help of her learners, all of whom are former refugees. The gifts were then handed to asylum seekers staying in Northallerton. (Photo and caption by Hambleton Today)
December 2025: When asylum-seeking families were placed in a hotel in the North Yorkshire market town of Northallerton, the local response unfolded in a way that sharply diverged from developments seen elsewhere in England. As first reported by the Financial Times in December, residents, churches and voluntary groups mobilised to provide practical assistance, including food donations, clothing, English-language conversation and social contact. (Financial Times, ‘Yorkshire town rallies round to welcome asylum seekers’). The response was organised, visible and largely uncontested.
This stands in contrast to towns such as Epping in Essex, where the use of a local hotel to house asylum seekers has prompted repeated protests, legal challenges by the district council and sustained media attention. In Epping, tensions have been fuelled by misinformation, a lack of early consultation and the rapid placement of asylum seekers with limited local support infrastructure, according to reporting by local authorities and national media covering anti-immigration demonstrations in 2024 and 2025. The hotel there has become a focal point for national political campaigning, drawing activists from outside the area and placing residents, councils and police under prolonged strain.
A similar pattern has emerged in Skegness, a Lincolnshire seaside town, where plans to accommodate asylum seekers in hotels have been met with vocal opposition and public meetings marked by anger and distrust. Local reporting has highlighted concerns about pressure on public services and a perceived lack of communication from central government, factors that have contributed to polarisation rather than integration. In both Epping and Skegness, the asylum issue has been framed as a crisis imposed on communities, rather than a shared civic challenge.
Welcoming asylum seekers the Northallerton way
Northallerton’s experience has been notably different. There, the arrival of asylum-seeking families did not trigger organised resistance or political escalation. According to the Financial Times, one explanation lies in the town’s existing civic networks, including faith-based organisations and charities with prior experience of supporting migrants. These groups were able to respond quickly and visibly, shaping the narrative around welcome and responsibility rather than uncertainty or fear.
The nature of the accommodation has also played a role. The Northallerton hotel has housed families rather than predominantly single adult men, a distinction that local leaders say influenced public perception. When proposals were raised to change the hotel’s use to accommodate single men, a move that has proved contentious in towns such as Epping, North Yorkshire Council objected, and the plan was dropped. Local reporting by Your Harrogate confirmed that council leaders explicitly welcomed the decision, citing concerns about community cohesion and stability.
Equally important has been the role of local leadership and communication. Unlike in towns where asylum accommodation was introduced abruptly, Northallerton’s civic response has emphasised transparency and practical engagement. Analysis by Context News on protests outside asylum hotels across the UK suggests that opposition is often driven less by the presence of asylum seekers themselves than by poor communication, uncertainty and the absence of trusted local intermediaries. Northallerton’s experience reinforces that finding.
For communities across England facing similar situations, the lesson is not that Northallerton is exceptional, but that outcomes are shaped by preparation, framing and local capacity. Where asylum seekers are presented as families in need of protection rather than abstract policy problems, and where residents are invited into constructive forms of engagement, tensions appear less likely to harden into conflict.
Northallerton, a candidate for the Solidarity Prize 2026
It is precisely these qualities that The Immigrant Times seeks to recognise through its annual Solidarity Prize. The Prize honours towns and communities that demonstrate sustained, collective commitment to welcoming and supporting migrants and asylum seekers. Selection criteria focus on the depth and durability of community involvement, the contribution such initiatives make to social and cultural integration, and the extent to which they strengthen cohesion between newcomers and long-standing residents. Particular weight is given to locally driven responses that translate solidarity into practical, everyday action.
Comments
(Editor’s note: We have selected some thoughtful comments published on social media platforms.)
By jethrotull2142
"To Talk About Christmas While Denying Hospitality Is To Misunderstand The Feast Entirely" I couldn't have said it better myself. What's the use of Christmas festivity when people won't adhere to the message and deeper meaning it conveys?
By brianferguson7840
I have lived just outside of Northallerton 20 years. People are much friendlier up there. Racist bigotry and ignorant hatred are greatly diminished the further you travel from the home counties. By the time you reach Ayrshire and Galloway, it hardly exists.
By jethrotull2142
Asylum seekers and refugees should be similarly welcomed all over the country, and we shouldn't turn a blind eye to their plight. They have gone through a lot to get to the EU, being subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of the people smugglers when no route exists for them but down.
By christopheredwards7846
The sheer magnitude of people arriving to claim asylum means that the Northallerton model won’t be the norm. For understandable reasons. But knowledge of such could make a difference to attitudes towards asylum seekers generally.
Further reading: Filipino nurses care workers in Britain || The fiscal impact of immigration in Britain || Immigration in Britain || Labour moves to the right on immigration || Britain’s harsh asylum reforms || English language requirements || Liverpool on immigration || The Solidarity Prize 2026 ||
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