East Sussex asylum seeker plans spark mixed reactions from locals

Government plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers at a military site in East Sussex have sparked mixed reactions from the surrounding community.

Local resident Lynn Street called Home Office plans to temporarily place around 600 people in the Crowborough Training Camp a “good thing”.

“They need our compassion,” she told BBC Radio Sussex. “Crowborough is a decent town. We’ll help them out.”

John Lowden said it could be “worrying” if the plans meant hundreds of young men were “wandering around a little town like Crowborough” with nothing to do.

He added that people from Afghanistan, accommodated at the site following the 2021 Kabul withdrawal, had not been a problem.

“We didn’t really notice it much,” he added.

Colin Chapman, who has lived in the town for more than 50 years, said he was not against people coming to Crowborough but worried about the potential impact on local services.

“There’s enough people waiting for [doctor’s] appointments,” he said.

Mr Chapman added the government was “desperate” to find locations for people.

The site in Crowborough is self-contained and essential services will be provided there to reduce the impact on local services, according to Wealden District Council.

The local authority said safety and security of nearby residents was “paramount”, adding that security would permanently be on the site.

Some asylum seekers may have been given the opportunity to volunteer within the local community, the council continued.

A petition against the plans has been launched.

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

The Home Office has said it is “furious” at the level of asylum hotel use.

Other options include using industrial sites and disused accommodation.

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

Expected costs of Home Office accommodation contracts for 2019-2029 have tripled from £4.5bn to £15.3bn.

On Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “frustrated and angry” as he sought to blame the previous Conservative government for leaving a “huge mess” in the asylum system by failing to process people’s claims.