Home Office Seeks Three More Military Sites to House Asylum Seekers
Quick Look
- The Home Office plans to use three additional Ministry of Defence sites in Bicester, Barnham, and Linton-on-Ouse to house approximately 3,750 asylum seekers, aiming to reduce reliance on hotels.
- This initiative faces opposition from Labour, who pledge to end hotel use, and human rights groups concerned about site suitability.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The UK government is attempting to move asylum seekers out of hotels, which are costly and have been a focus for anti-migrant protests, by utilizing military sites for accommodation.
The Home Office is attempting to use three more military sites to house thousands of asylum seekers, as the government seeks to move people out of hotels.
Three Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites in Bicester in Oxfordshire, Barnham in Suffolk, and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, could house about 3,750 asylum seekers if planning permission is granted.
The government is also looking to extend the use of existing military sites in Crowborough, East Sussex until 2030 and Wethersfield, Essex beyond 2027.
Labour has pledged to stop using asylum hotels, a costly form of accommodation that has become a focal point for anti-migrant protests.
As of March this year, 20,885 (21%) asylum seekers were in hotels and 72,768 (75%) were in other accommodation as they awaited decisions.
The number of asylum seekers in hotels has dropped from a peak of 56,000 in September 2023.
On Thursday, the Home Office said a further 20 asylum hotels had been shut, reducing the number in use to 170.
Border security and asylum minister Alex Norris said: "We are moving asylum seekers into ex-military sites that are a far cry from the hotels the last government left us with.
"This is a system being brought back under control – and we will not stop until the job is done."
But Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour "should be putting illegal immigrants on a plane home rather than messing around with military camps and hotels".
He said Labour "will not do what is needed to tear down the barriers to deportation, and without deportation, there is no deterrent".
The government stated its intention to increase the number of MoD sites it was using to accommodate asylum seekers last year.
Two former military sites - RAF Wethersfield in Essex, and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex - are already being used to house asylum seekers.
But the use of military sites for this purpose has been hampered by practical difficulties and highly contested by local residents as well as human rights groups.
This week, an MP said one scheme to house up to 300 male asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks in Inverness had been dropped, following protests.
The Red Cross said military barracks "are often in isolated locations and, by their very nature, can retraumatise people who have fled conflict and persecution".
"It's clear that housing people seeking asylum in hotels isn't working well for anyone, but any alternative accommodation must enable people to live in safety and dignity," said Sam Turner, British Red Cross director of migration and displacement, said.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Home Office will seek planning permission for the three new military sites.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will planning permission be granted for the three new sites?
- How will local residents react to the new site proposals?
- What are the long-term plans for asylum seeker accommodation?
