Crowborough protest over housing asylum seekers in army barracks

A protest has taken place in an East Sussex town after the government began housing asylum seekers at a military site.

Plans were announced in October to accommodate up to 600 male asylum seekers in an army training camp on the outskirts of Crowborough. The first 27 men arrived at the site in the early hours of Thursday morning.

This was the first large-scale protest in the town since the men were moved in, although demonstrations have taken place previously since the plans were confirmed.

The government said the move was part of its “mission to end the use of expensive hotels”, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stating that “Crowborough is just the start”.

Moving asylum seekers to military sites, including the site in Crowborough, is part of the government’s attempt to end the controversial use of hotels – something it has pledged to do before the next election.

More than 400 hotels were opened under the last government at a cost of £9m a day, according to the Home Office.

Now just under 200 remain in use, with overall asylum costs down 15%, a Home Office spokesperson said.

The military site was previously used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021, according to the Home Office.

On Friday, Crowborough’s MP Nuis Ghani said residents were “incredibly anxious” after the first asylum seekers were moved in.

She told BBC Radio Sussex that the site was “wholly inappropriate” and confirmed she had invited representatives from the Home Office to prove how it was “safe, legal and complaint”, after it was previously ruled out for use.

The Crowborough site has 24/7 security with CCTV and strict sign-in processes for residents, the Home Office added.

Sussex Police said that three people, arrested after disorder outside the site on Saturday, had been released on bail.