‘Worst offender’ councils splurging on yoga and PlayStations for asylum seekers while increasing YOUR taxes by hundreds

Councils across Britain have sparked fury after giving asylum seekers taxpayer funded yoga classes, PlayStations, driving lessons and sport tickets while raising council tax by hundreds for hardworking Brits this year.

FoI data revealed cash strapped local authorities have spent over £140million on perks for migrants since 2022, including instruction in ‘circus skills’, DJ lessons and Tai Chi.

It comes after a GB News investigation revealed 103 out of 207 councils in England are raising council tax by over £100 for 2025/26 yesterday.

Most of these authorities are raising bills by the legal limit of 4.99 per cent, though Labour Deputy PM Angela Rayner has allowed Bradford, Newham and Windsor and Maidenhead Birmingham, Somerset and Trafford to exceed that limit.

EXPLORE: How much is your council tax bill going up?

EXPLORE: How much is your council tax bill going up?

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Rupert Lowe, Reform UK MP, said: “It is pure insanity. What message does this send to the millions looking to make the journey?

“No computer games, driving lessons, phones, laptops or whatever else. They should receive a one-way plane ticket.”

GB News has cross referenced the list of councils raising council tax by the largest amount with the list of councils spending the most on asylum seeker perks.

The cross-referencing found the following authorities to be the ‘worst offenders.’ All council tax rises are for Band D properties while asylum seeker spend is from 2022.

1 – Bradford

Council Tax rise – £205

Asylum seeker spend – £4million

Party – Labour

Labour-run Bradford council has spent £4million on asylum seekers since 2022, despite having a budget deficit of £140million.

That includes £2,475 for a new “Welcome to Bradford” website which “provides guidance and help for those arriving new to the city”.

As a result of their precarious finances, Angela Rayner was forced to grant the authority special permission to raise council tax by 10 per cent– the highest in the country- four times the rate of inflation.

It means council taxpayers in the city will pay £205 more to the council in 2025/26, bringing Band D properties’ total bill to £2,260 for the year.

Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “None of us want to see an increase in council tax when other bills are also rising but we have a responsibility to make sure the council’s finances balance.

“We are trying wherever possible to find new ways of working and new funding sources so that we can save money for council taxpayers without cutting vital services.”

2 – Croydon

Council Tax rise – £137

Asylum seekers spend – £9.6million

Party – Conservative Mayor (no overall control)

The south London borough of Croydon has spent a whopping £9.3million of asylum seeker grant funding since 2022, and not just on the essentials of housing and healthcare.

The authority has splurged £317,224 on extra services including music lessons teaching “DJ skills” costing £6,900.

It also gave £20,000 to controversial Care4Calais migrant charity who campaigned against Sunak’s Rwanda scheme and were found by the Charity Commission in 2023 to have displayed ‘serious mismanagement.’

In turn, the charity helped Croydon provide new arrivals with housing guidance, GP registration, sim cards and Oyster cards.

This is despite the council being effectively bankrupt since 2022 when it issued its third Section 114 notice.

The authority is facing a £100million overspend in the coming year.

As a result, it is slapping residents with yet another 4.99 per cent rise to council tax for 2025/26, an increase of £137 which brings Band D bills to £2,504.

It means council tax bills have increased by 27 per cent since 2023 when Tory Mayor Perry too charge.

In the council’s reasoning, it said: “Croydon is experiencing extreme funding pressure due to rising demand for services.

“Croydon also bears a historic £1.4bn debt burden, which in 2025/26 will cost the council £69m – 16% of the council’s core spending power.”

3 – Bristol

Council Tax rise – £122

Asylum seeker spend – £6.3million

Party – Green

The ultra-left wing Bristol council spent £270,389 on migrant perks including tickets to Gloucestershire County Cricket, Bristol Rovers and Bristol City.

The broke council has been told it must make £53million in savings or face bankruptcy this year.

It has raised council tax by the legal limit of 4.99 per cent for five years in a row and is seeking a sixth for 2025/26.

That means Bristol residents will be paying an extra £122 this year, bringing the total bill for Band D properties to £2,582.

4 – Bracknell Forest

Council Tax rise – £102

Asylum seeker spend – £1.3million

Party – Labour

This local authority between Reading and London has spent an eye-watering £1.3 million on asylum seeker initiatives, including free driving tuition for Afghan refugees.

It has also bought devices for new arrivals, spending £4,800 on bus passes, laptops and bicycles for asylum seekers.

The council is also raising council tax by £102 for 2025/26, with Band D property bills set to hit £2,153 for the year.

5 – Cheshire West and Chester

Council Tax rise – £113

Asylum seeker spend – £1.7million

Party – Labour

Labour-run Cheshire West and Chester has spent large sums on looking after asylum seekers, including £2,235 on transport to Eid prayers since 2022.

It also put £116,627 of central government refugee grant funding into a local “race equality centre” that provides services for new arrivals while offering training on “tackling extremism” and “hate crime awareness”.

The authority is putting council tax up by £113 this year, bringing Band D bills to £2,390.

6 – Sheffield

Council Tax rise – £113

Asylum seekers spend – £7.8million

Party – Labour/Liberal Democrats/Green Party

Sheffield council, controlled by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, has one of the highest resettlement and asylum seeker rates in the country (45 per 100,000).

The authority spent £27,880 last year on a ‘Migration Matters Festival’, a nine-day celebration of “sanctuary, cultural identity and migration”.

The cash-strapped council is raising bills by £113, bringing Band D properties’ bills to £2,386 per year.

7 – Halton (Cheshire)

Council Tax rise – £106

Asylum seekers spend – £2.3million

Party – Labour

Halton council, which is facing bankruptcy with a budget deficit of £20million, spent £2.3million in asylum seekers grants since 2022.

That included £5,000 of Home Office grant funding on Iftar dinners, the meal which breaks the Ramadan fast.

The authority is raising council tax by 4.99 per cent (£106) in 2025/26, bringing Band D bills to £2,243.

8 – West Sussex

Council Tax rise – £81.49

Asylum seekers spend – £7.3million

Party – Conservative

The Tory-run council of West Sussex, which has spent £7.3million of asylum seeker grant funding since 2022, used £334 of its funding to buy PlayStation consoles and games for new arrivals.

The council also paid £496 for yoga sessions for those in hotels.

However, the council says government funding is “insufficient to meet the growing needs of our residents,” and is therefore raising council tax bills by £81.49 in 2025/26.

It means Band D bills will rise to £1714 this year.

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Council tax rises plotted with the amount spent on asylum seeker’s perks, broken down by authority

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Net migration reached 728,000 in 2024, following 2023’s record-breaking influx of 906,000.

The Office of Budget Responsibility found low-skilled migrants remain a lifelong burden on public finances, taking out more than they contribute.

Migrants can receive £49.18 weekly support and accommodation while appealing decisions.

William Yarwood, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, reacted: “Taxpayers will be furious that councils seem more interested in buying PlayStations for asylum seekers than fixing potholes.

“While Brits put up with crumbling roads and declining public services, they have every right to ask where their council’s priorities really lie.

“Town hall bosses need to get their act together.”

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