Home Office delays plan to house asylum seekers at military bases

Plans to house asylum seekers at two military bases in East Sussex and the Scottish Highlands have been postponed by the Home Office. Around 540 men were scheduled to be sent to Crowborough army preparation camp and another 300 men to Cameron Barracks in Inverness. As part of the drive to close asylum centers, the UK government originally intended to move asylum seekers by early December. According to the Home Office, it was necessary to delay rushed decisions that would result in

unsafe and chaotic situations. It said that operations would continue when facilities were

fully operational and safe.

Crowborough and Cameron Barrackswere were among the prospective temporary asylum seeker accommodation for asylum seekers earlier this year. The local authority Wealden District Council in East Sussex passed a motion officially opposing the Crowborough plan. Highland Council has also expressed reservations about the barracks' expansion and pressures on local services. The 140-year-old base, located in Inverness' city center, was previously used to house families fleeing Afghanistan.

The Home Office said that it also intends to accelerate the movement of people. However, it said that it would not do so at the expense of local communities' safety.

We are furious at the number of unlawful migrants and asylum hotels,

a spokesperson said.

Moving to large military installations is a critical part of our efforts to combat the incentives that attract illegal migrants to the United Kingdom.

When it is fully operational and safe, we are continuing to expand plans to move people into Cameron Barracks. "We will continue to work closely with local officials and authorities during this transition.

In the summer, widespread demonstrations against the accommodation of asylum seekers in hotels exploded across the UK. During August, demonstrations were held outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Perth and Aberdeenshire, as well as Falkirk. In September, a brick was thrown through the window of the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk, just months after hundreds of pro and anti-immigration protesters staged rival demonstrations outside. Sadeq Nikzad, a former resident of the town, was sentenced to nine years in jail for the rape of a 15-year-old teen.

Officials from Highland Council recomended writing to the Home Office to obtain urgent clarity on the plans at the start of November. Around 60 people per week could arrive at the barracks from the second week of December, according to the local authority. The initiative, according to them, was to use the site for a year before it reverted to being an army base. However, a survey raised questions over the overall scope of the plan, the possibility of demonstrations and the barracks becoming a target for people "deliberately wishing to incite violence and hatred.

A multi-agency alliance involving the council, NHS Highland, Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Cosla, Cotla, and the Home Office is now meeting weekly to prepare for the arrival of asylum seekers and learn from best practice,

a spokesperson for the council said.