Charities condemn ‘arrogant’ plans to house asylum seekers at former military sites | Immigration and asylum

Home Office plans to use three more former military facilities to house thousands of refugees have been condemned as “arrogant”, “costly” and a “political solution” by refugee charities and local stakeholders.

The statement said planning permission was sought to build “essential” accommodation facilities at MOD Bicester in Oxfordshire, RAF Barnham in Suffolk and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. The government claimed that these new sites could accommodate 3,750 applicants.

Ministers hope to extend the use of other former military sites currently housing claimants beyond 2027, including Crowborough in East Sussex and Wethersfield in Essex, the statement said. The Home Office said capacity at Wethersfield would be increased by 400 to 1,200 men.

The move was condemned as costing more than putting applicants into hotels and repeating the mistakes of the last government, which faced legal challenges over the use of barracks to house asylum seekers.

Imran Hussain, director of external relations at the Refugee Council, said: “As the government’s own spending watchdog has said, barracks actually cost more money than hotels. We know from experience that barracks also isolate people from local communities and essential services because they are miles from the nearest towns, so people fleeing war and persecution cannot find any security or stability when applying for asylum.”

Politicians in Bicester have questioned why the government wants to build asylum shelters here, given the last attempt was in 2001. halted due to protests, planning delays and excessive costs.

Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said the Home Office’s latest proposal “looks like a political solution” and will not work.

“Ministers say they are closing asylum hotels, but they appear to be swapping one costly and inappropriate model for another, without giving local communities the answers they deserve,” he said.

Nicola David, a member of the Linton-on-Ouse Action Group, which fought plans to base asylum seekers when the previous government proposed it in 2022, said the announcement was a “real gut punch”.

“We fought hard against these proposals and won by proving that it was ‘wrong plan, wrong place’.

“This is still wrong. There is no good in storing large numbers of refugees in a small, remote village,” he said.

Kim Bailey, of Crowborough Shield CIC, which has launched a legal challenge against the Home Office’s use of Crowborough to house asylum seekers, said: “The government continues to advance the argument that large-scale asylum accommodation offers better value for money. But current figures tell a different story. Military-style accommodation is more expensive than hotels.”

Wethersfield residents Nick and Mair Godley said: “We are very disappointed to learn that despite assurances given by this government while in opposition and by the previous government that the use of Wethersfield would be temporary, they now appear to want an indefinite extension of both duration and number.

“This is being presented as a done deal without consulting the local community… This is a clear demonstration of the arrogance of the Home Office.”

The number of asylum seekers temporarily housed in hotels in the UK has fallen to its lowest level since 2022, when the data was first announced, according to figures published by the Home Office last month.

The number of people staying in these accommodations while awaiting a decision on their asylum applications at the end of March fell 35% from 32,326 to 20,885.

The total number rose to 56,018 by the end of September 2023.

According to provisional figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the total number of people arriving by small boat in 2026 reached 11,267, a 39% decrease compared to last year.

The Home Office said it had closed a further 20 asylum hotels, including the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex. Demonstrations outside the hotel turned violent last summer after one of its residents was charged and subsequently convicted of sexually assaulting a child.

The announcement came after outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday afternoon that a drop in the number of migrants crossing the Channel had allowed the government to close more asylum hotels.

“On crossings across the Channel, which is a concern for many people, we have understandably reduced these figures.

“So the steps we have taken are starting to bear fruit and at the same time the shelter hotels are closing.

“The last two are interconnected because as the number of people crossing the canal increases, the need for shelter decreases,” he said.