Hundreds protest over asylum seeker military site plans

The protests come after the government’s announcement that 600 people would be temporarily housed at a nearly military training camp.

Local resident Keith Brown said: “If you dump any 600 young men of undocumented, unknown origin in a small town, you’re asking for trouble.”

A Home Office spokesman said “the right to protest is fundamental to our democracy”.

They went on to emphasise the government’s aim to “close every asylum hotel” – a pledge Labour will attempt to meet before the next election. They claimed work is “well under way” to find more suitable accommodation for asylum seekers going forward.

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Resident Ben Grant said that the plans were concerning locals.

“Straight after our last council meeting, I had a lot of our vulnerable, elderly and especially women who told me they are really worried about their safety,” he said.

Fellow resident Rachel Nichols added: “We shouldn’t be put in a position where we have to stretch ourselves further to accommodate people who are not offering something back to our community.”

Steve Smith, from refugee charity Care4Calais said that the government have a duty to house those who would be otherwise destitute, but called Crowborough was a “dilapidated old army camp”. As consequence, he predicted that the costs to set up the accommodation would be high.

“From my point of view, shovelling people into former barracks is not the best use of money and for those seeking asylum,” said Mr Smith.

He said because many had been through traumatic experiences, including war, detention and modern day slavery, housing them in old barracks was “not the best”.

Wealden District Council raised concerns about staffing at the camp, as well as police capabilities and the additional strain on local public services, which are already under strain.

Locals have particularly raised concerns about the migrants registering with GPs, with residents already struggling to book appointments – a service the NHS is required by law to provide to asylum seekers.

Deputy leader of the District Council, Rachel Millward, revealed the local authority had sought legal advice about the move, with the council unable to stop the move via planning powers as the site was Crown land. 

A petition against the move has also been set up, which has attracted about 6,000 signatures.

Earlier this week, the government said military sites were being considered in an attempt to reduce the impact of housing asylum seekers on local communities, as well as delivering better outcomes for taxpayers.

Wealden District Council has called for the reversal of the plans, claiming it had “totally failed” to engage with the community or provide assurances around safeguarding for all those impacted.

The government added that the site would comply with safety and security standards.

As of June, about 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels, down from a peak of more than 56,000 in 2023, according to government figures.