PLANS to move asylum seekers into military barracks have slipped, despite ministers publicly promising the sites would open by December 1.
The Home Office had insisted Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Camp in East Sussex would take hundreds of people and help close expensive hotels.
But officials have now admitted the rollout is being pushed back because basic requirements are still not in place.
They are still working to secure things like adequate healthcare provision and extra policing before anyone can be moved in.
It comes after the two local communities have raised concerns about “community cohesion” and the sudden arrival of hundreds of asylum seekers.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the East Sussex town last week, after the camp, which can house up to 540 people, was offered up by the Ministry of Defence.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.
“Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination.
“We are continuing to accelerate plans to move people into Crowborough and Cameron Barracks, when the sites are fully operational and safe.
“We will not replicate the mistakes of the past where rushed plans have led to unsafe and chaotic situations that impacts the local community.”
The Home Office had previously insisted the bases were essential to ending the reliance on hotels.
More than £8 million a day is still being spent on hotel accommodation.
And fresh official figures yesterday revealed migrant hotel numbers have rocketed by 4,000 in just three months.
Some 36,273 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels at the end of September, up from 32,041 in June.
It means there are now 7,000 more migrants in hotels than when Labour came to power last year.
The sharp rise piles pressure on the Prime Minister who has repeatedly promised to end hotel use by the next election.
Sir Keir Starmer yesterday insisted he is still “determined to close all our asylum hotels”.
Meanwhile, the stats showed asylum claims have surged to a record 110,000 in the year to September – up 13 per cent on last year and higher than the previous peak two decades ago.Half of all asylum seekers arrived through illegal routes, including small boats and clandestine crossings.
Another 38 per cent had originally entered the UK legally before later claiming asylum.
A total of 51,000 people were detected arriving illegally in the latest year, including 46,000 small boat arrivals, making up 89 per cent of all irregular entries.
Eritrean, Afghan, Iranian, Sudanese and Somali nationals accounted for almost three-fifths of those coming across the Channel.
Meanwhile, 111,651 individuals were receiving asylum support at the end of September – a 2 per cent rise on the previous year.
Of those, 36,273 people – roughly one-third – were in hotel accommodation, up on the same point last year.S
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the figures “blow apart every claim Labour have made about getting control.”
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