Two military sites named as ministers aim to close asylum hotels
Hundreds of asylum seekers could be housed at two military sites in Inverness and East Sussex as the government aims to end the use of hotels.
As first reported in the Times, discussions are ongoing about using these spaces to house 900 men.
According to information obtained by the BBC, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has instructed Home Office and Ministry of Defense officials to speed up efforts to locate suitable military installations.
The government has vowed to end the use of asylum hotels, which cost billions of pounds and have become the focus of anti-immigrant protests, from the next election.
According to plans drawn up by ministers, the migrants are expected to be placed at Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex by the end of next month.
Defense Secretary Luke Pollard told BBC Breakfast that the facilities were “in no way luxury accommodation” but were “suitable for what is required”.
“This will allow us to take pressure off the asylum hotel property and allow them to be closed more quickly,” he said.
Asked whether military installations would be cheaper for the government than hotels, Pollard said the cost was currently being evaluated and “it depends on the base.”
He said: “But I think there’s something more important that we’ve seen in the last few months, which is the absolute public appetite for all asylum hotels to be closed.”
Pollard did not say how many refugees would be moved or when that would happen.
He said there must be adequate interaction with local authorities and adequate security arrangements must be in place. “These talks have been going on for some time,” he added.
Angus MacDonald, the Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, told the BBC that he supported the use of military sites to house refugees but that it seemed “a bit odd” as the chosen base was in the city centre.
“It’s essentially the same,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, adding that to his knowledge it was an open barracks with no security.
“I thought the idea of settling them in army camps was to get them out of town and make them less of a problem for the local people.”
He said he was first given a “hint” about the use of Cameron Barracks by someone in the army about a month ago, who had been notified to leave and had recently learned that the plan was to house 300 refugees there.
MacDonald added that Scotland did not have a “very good track record” of migrants staying there and that the Home Office should consider whether migrants “are going to leave as soon as possible”.
Ministers are also considering industrial sites, temporary accommodation and disused accommodation to accommodate refugees.
Government sources told the BBC that all facilities will comply with health and safety standards.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We are outraged at the level of illegal immigrants and asylum hotels.
“This government will close all asylum hotels. Work continues, with more suitable locations being put forward to ease pressure on communities and reduce asylum costs.”
Approximately 32,000 refugees are currently housed in hotels; That’s a decrease from the peak number of 56,000 in 2023, but more than 2,500 from last year.
A report found on Monday Billions of taxpayers’ money ‘wasted’ on shelters.
The Home Affairs Committee said “flawed contracts” and “inadequate delivery” had led the Home Office to rely on hotels as “workarounds” rather than temporary workarounds, with expected costs tripling to more than £15bn.
Commenting on the report’s findings, Sir Keir said he was “determined” to close all asylum hotels, adding: “I cannot express how disappointed and angry I am that we have been left with such a huge mess by the last government.”
Two former military sites – MDP Wethersfield, a former RAF base in Essex, and Napier Barracks, a former military base in Kent – are already being used to house refugees after opening under the previous Tory government.
