Home Office delays plan to house asylum seekers at military bases

The Home Office has postponed plans to resettle asylum seekers at two military installations in East Sussex and the Scottish Highlands.

Approximately 540 men were to be sent to Crowborough army training camp and 300 to Cameron Barracks in Inverness.

The UK government initially wanted to relocate asylum seekers in early December as part of a move to close asylum hotels.

The Home Office said it wanted to avoid rushed plans that would lead to “unsafe and chaotic situations”. He said the process would resume once the facilities were “fully operational and safe.”

Crowborough and Cameron Barracks both were allocated earlier this year as potential temporary refugee accommodation.

In East Sussex, local authority Wealden District Council has passed a motion formally opposing the Crowborough proposal.

Highland Council also expressed concern about the scale of the barracks plans and the pressures on local services.

The 140-year-old base near Inverness city center was previously used to house families fleeing Afghanistan.

The Home Office said they still planned to “expedite” the movement of people.

But he said he would not do so at the expense of the safety of local communities.

A spokesman added: “We are outraged at the level of illegal immigrants and asylum hotels.

“Moving to major military sites is a key part of our reforms to tackle the incentives that attract illegal immigrants to the UK.

“We continue to accelerate our plans to move people to Cameron Barracks once it is fully operational and safe.

“We will continue to work closely with local representatives and officials throughout this transition.”

Widespread protests against housing asylum seekers in hotels broke out in the UK in the summer.

In Scotland, protests were held in front of hotels housing asylum seekers in Perth and Aberdeenshire, as well as in Falkirk, in August.

A brick was thrown through the window of the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk in September, months after hundreds of pro-immigrant and anti-immigration protesters held rival demonstrations outside.

The town’s Park Hotel was also targeted following the murder of former resident Sadeq Nikzad. sentenced to nine years in prison For raping a 15-year-old girl.

Highland Council officials It was recommended to write to the Ministry of Internal Affairs “Urgent clarity” will be sought on the proposals at the beginning of November.

The local authority had previously announced that approximately 60 people per week could come to the barracks starting from the second week of December.

They said the plan was to use the area for 12 months before turning it into a military base.

But a report also expressed concerns about the size of the proposal, the potential for protests and the barracks becoming a target for people “deliberately seeking to incite violence and hatred”.

A spokesman for the council said: “A multi-agency partnership involving the council, NHS Highland, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish government, Cosla and the Home Office now meets weekly to plan the arrival of asylum seekers and learn from best practice.”