Two military sites earmarked as asylum seeker accommodation
Baku, October 28, AZERTAC
Hundreds of asylum seekers could be housed in two military sites in Inverness and East Sussex as the government seeks to end the use of hotels, according to BBC News.
Discussions are under way over the use of the sites to accommodate 900 men, as first reported in the Times. There are around 32,000 asylum seekers currently being housed in hotels.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has instructed Home Office and Ministry of Defence officials to accelerate work to locate appropriate military sites, the BBC understands.
The government has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels, which have cost billions of pounds and become a focal point for anti-migrant protests, by the next election.
Migrants are due to be housed in the Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex by the end of next month, under plans being drawn up by ministers.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard told BBC Breakfast that the sites were not "luxury accommodation by any means," but "adequate for what is required".
"That will enable us to take the pressure off the asylum hotel estate and enable those to be closed at a faster rate," he said.
The National Audit Office concluded in March 2024 that large sites such as military bases would cost more than hotels to accommodate asylum seekers.
Pressed on the cost of these sites, Pollard said this was currently being assessed and would "depend on the base".
The plans for Crowborough Training Camp have prompted a mixed response among residents. One local recalled that there had not been any problems when Afghan families, evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021, were previously housed there. Others expressed concern about the impact on local services.
Ministers are also considering industrial sites, temporary accommodation and otherwise disused accommodation to house asylum seekers.
Government sources told the BBC that all sites would comply with health and safety standards.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.
"This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well under way, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs."
As of June 2025, there were 32,000 asylum seekers being accommodated in hotels, a drop from a peak of more than 56,000 in 2023 but 2,500 more than last year.
A report on Monday found billions of taxpayers' money had been "squandered" on asylum accommodation.
The Home Affairs Committee said "flawed contracts" and "incompetent delivery" had resulted in the Home Office relying on hotels as "go-to solutions" rather than temporary stop-gaps, with expected costs tripling to more than £15bn.
Commenting on the report's findings, Sir Keir said he was "determined" to close all asylum hotels, adding: "I can't tell you how frustrated and angry I am that we've been left with a mess as big as this by the last government."
Two former military sites - MDP Wethersfield, a former RAF base in Essex, and Napier Barracks, a former military base in Kent - are currently being used to house asylum seekers after being opened under the previous Conservative government.
Both sites house single, adult men. Wethersfield has a capacity of 1,245 and a typical maximum stay of nine months, while Napier can hold 328 men for up to 90 days.
In 2021 a High Court judge described Napier Barracks as "squalid" and overcrowded - with "filthy" facilities and "detention-like" settings - requiring government action.
The site is due to be handed to Ministry of Defence in January, before being taken over by a housing developer in March.
The High Court was previously told that Wethersfield was like a prison - with three migrants bringing a case against the former home secretary describing tensions and outbreaks of violence within its walls.
On Tuesday, several security workers who say they were suddenly dismissed from their jobs at Wethersfield, after walking out over pay and conditions, told the BBC that some residents there were violent and possessed weapons.
The site is run by Clearsprings Ready Homes - which has a 10-year contract with the Home Office to provide accommodation services to asylum seekers, including running some asylum hotels.
It has made £187m and housed 30,000 migrants since being awarded the contract in 2019 - half of them in hotels, where some residents previously told the BBC of poor conditions.
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