Asylum seekers are being housed for £11 each per night under Whitehall's ‘incredibly parsimonious' system, leaving councils with little choice over where they are placed, a key sector figure has warned.

David Simmonds, deputy chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), told The MJ he was not surprised to learn that a third of all UK asylum seekers are sent by government contractors to 10 of the poorest council areas while awaiting a decision on their application.