Hundreds of asylum seekers are scheduled to be relocated to military facilities in Scotland and Sussex as part of an initiative to phase out the use of hotels. The Home Office has verified that approximately 900 men will be housed temporarily at these sites, with efforts underway to pinpoint additional potential locations to accelerate the closure of hotel accommodations.
Under the proposed plans, individuals will be accommodated at Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex, both of which were utilized to house Afghans during the Kabul withdrawal in 2021. This move comes in response to a critical report highlighting wasteful spending on costly contracts due to leadership failures under the previous administration.
Speaking to Sky News, Defence Minister Luke Pollard emphasized the government’s commitment to shuttering all asylum hotels by the end of the current parliamentary term. Pollard stated that progress has already been made with the closure of 24 facilities, resulting in a significant cost saving of £1 billion. The Ministry of Defence is intensifying efforts to identify suitable sites for housing asylum seekers to expedite the closure of remaining hotels.
Pollard reassured that the military barracks offered to the Home Office will be managed by contracted service providers, ensuring the provision of essential services like food, cleaning, and security. This shift aligns with the government’s broader strategy to replace asylum hotels, which have been criticized as ineffective, disorderly, and costly.
As of June this year, the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels stood at around 32,000, a decrease from the peak of over 56,000 in 2023 but still higher by 2,500 compared to the same period last year. The projected costs of Home Office accommodation contracts for the period of 2019-2029 have surged from £4.5 billion to £15.3 billion, reflecting a substantial uptick in demand, according to the Commons Home Affairs Committee.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer expressed frustration and anger at the previous government for mismanaging the asylum system, leading to a significant backlog in processing claims. The current government remains steadfast in its determination to eliminate asylum hotels, with ongoing efforts to identify more appropriate sites to alleviate community pressures and reduce asylum-related expenses.