Housing asylum seekers in military bases will place pressure on local police forces, Home Office admits
The Home Office has admitted police forces will need more money to cope with pressure from major asylum centers in their area.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood has pressed ahead with plans to house migrants in larger venues such as military bases, despite warnings that it would cost the government more than the controversial asylum hotels.
There have been numerous demonstrations this year against the government’s use of military ground in East Sussex to house refugees. Crowborough military barracks, previously used to house Afghan families evacuated under safe refuge programmes, will now host more than 500 refugees.
The first 27 refugees were resettled at the end of January this year. The asylum seekers will stay there for three months until their claims are processed and local councilors said they had been assured the site would only be used for a year.
Now Home Office guidance on funding assistance for large areas has been updated to ensure all police forces are covered. Previously, this policy only applied to certain asylum areas, but the government plans to increase the number of areas used for migrants.
Sussex Police said it was in discussions with the Home Office about seeking additional funding to cover the extra costs of housing migrants at Crowborough army base.
Protesters opposed to the military housing of refugees marched in Crowborough on Sunday after a High Court judge ruled that the government’s decision to use the base could not be challenged in the courts.
Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs first proposed the use of the barracks, many demonstrations have been held with the participation of thousands of people. While the aggrieved local people organized marches, some figures from the far right took the opportunity to increase tension. These reportedly included activists from the Operation Raise the Color movement, some of whom were banned by French authorities due to harassment of immigrants in northern France.
Immigrant hotels have become flashpoints for violent protests over the past two summers; Labor was subject to significant political pressure to end the use of these hotels by the end of the government. The number of migrants housed in hotels fell 19 percent from the previous year to 30,657, but the number in emergency or dispersed accommodation such as shared flats rose slightly from 2024. As of 31 December 2025, 72,769 people were housed in Home Office accommodation other than hotels; This means a 2 percent increase compared to 2024.
Epping Forest District Council took court action last summer over the immigration hotel, which they said had been hit by protests and became a “nurturing ground for unrest”. They lost their bid for an injunction, but the council will seek permission to appeal the decision in the Court of Appeal on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “We recognize the impact of this request for additional policing and are committed to keeping the public safe across Sussex. We are working with the Home Office to find additional funding and these discussions are ongoing.”
Essex Police Force previously received £267,569 from the government to support policing at Wethersfield refugee camp and Dorset Police force also received £746,888 to help with the Bibby Stockholm barge. Under the previous Conservative government, Lincolnshire police received £1.8 million to allow additional officers to be deployed to deal with the use of RAF Scampton base for asylum seekers. The former airbase, famous for its role in the World War II Dambusters raid, was never actually used to house immigrants and plans were canceled last year.
The Home Office also plans to use Cameron Barracks in Inverness to house around 300 refugees, but planning rules have delayed its use. Scottish politicians have said that under Scottish law the council must approve a barracks-to-hostel change if it is used for more than six months.
The former military base of Wethersfield in Essex is now used as a large refugee site. Independent It reveals that self-harm and suicide attempts were among the hundreds of incidents recorded in the camp in 2024. Freedom of information data reveals that in 2024, staff had to report 430 incidents to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Staff are required to notify the government if refugees suffer serious injury, accident or illness, display any violent or aggressive behavior, or if the safety of staff is threatened.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We are outraged at the level of illegal immigrants and asylum hotels.
“The government is removing the incentives that attract illegal immigrants to Britain. That’s why we will close all asylum hotels and move asylum seekers to essential accommodation such as Crowborough.”
