A leaked Home Office memo has revealed plans to relocate up to 10,000 asylum seekers across the UK to 14 new locations, including repurposed military barracks. The initiative, outlined in an ‘official sensitive’ document first cited by The Sunday Times, forms part of Labour’s commitment to end taxpayer-funded asylum hotels by 2029. The proposal has drawn intense criticism, with local residents expressing concerns over the potential risks to community safety and the strain on public resources.
Two sites have been confirmed: Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex, both facing protests from nearby towns. The homes, described as ‘official sensitive,’ are marked as part of the Home Office’s efforts to resettle asylum seekers using former military facilities that have been upgraded and could begin receiving arrivals immediately. The initiative is part of a broader plan to discontinue the use of taxpayer-funded asylum hotels by 2029, which currently cost billions of pounds annually.
Although the camps would be fenced, the migrants would not be legally detained and would be free to leave at any time. At a similar site in Wethersfield, Essex, the Home Office provides a shuttle bus service to nearby towns seven days a week. Defence officials acknowledged that the use of bases near residential areas is ‘problematic’ and likely to face ‘fierce resistance’ from locals, according to a source cited by the Daily Mail.
Over the weekend, hundreds of residents marched in Crowborough, a town of around 20,000, to protest against the plan to house 600 asylum seekers at the disused base, carrying signs that read ‘Protect our children’ and ‘Protect our community.’ ‘We just feel like we’ve been let down by the government,’ resident Ben Grant told the media. Another protester said the government should ‘bring on the army to keep control,’ while a young local girl told reporters that she no longer feels safe in her own community.
In Inverness, where the proposed accommodation is located a short distance from the city centre, locals have also expressed concern, with many citing fears for ‘the safety of women and girls.’ According to government data, the Home Office is currently supporting around 103,000 migrants at public expense, including just over 32,000 housed in hotels. More than 1,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats over two days last week, bringing this year’s total to over 38,000 – surpassing the 36,816 recorded in all of 2024, according to GB News.