The British government has announced plans to relocate hundreds of asylum seekers to military sites as part of its efforts to phase out the use of hotels for migrant accommodation.
The Home Office confirmed on Monday that two former military bases in Scotland and southern England will temporarily house around 900 men. Officials are also working to identify additional sites over the coming weeks and months, according to PA Media.
Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex will be used to host the asylum seekers. Both facilities had previously accommodated Afghan families evacuated during the 2021 Kabul withdrawal, before they were later resettled elsewhere earlier this year.
This move comes as the government faces growing criticism over its asylum accommodation strategy. A parliamentary committee recently described the hotel scheme as “failed, chaotic and expensive.”
A Home Office spokesperson said the government is determined to close all hotels currently used for asylum purposes, adding that officials are working urgently to identify more suitable locations to reduce pressure on local communities and cut costs. Potential alternatives include military and industrial sites, temporary facilities, and disused buildings.
By June this year, around 32,000 asylum seekers were still being housed in hotels, down from a peak of over 56,000 in 2023, but 2,500 more than during the same period last year.
The cost of accommodation contracts for the Home Office between 2019 and 2029 has risen sharply from £4.5 billion to £15.3 billion, reflecting what the Commons Home Affairs Committee described as a “dramatic surge” in demand.
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