Two former army barracks in Inverness and East Sussex will soon house around 900 asylum seekers as the UK government pushes to end the costly use of hotels for temporary accommodation.
The Home Office confirmed that Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Camp in East Sussex will be repurposed to host single men while officials search for more suitable sites, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The move comes after a parliamentary committee described the use of asylum hotels as “failed, chaotic and expensive.”
“We are furious at the level of illegal migration and asylum hotel costs,” a Home Office spokesperson said. “This government will close every asylum hotel.”
As of June, around 32,000 asylum seekers were still living in hotels — down from a peak of 56,000 in 2023. The government’s accommodation contracts have ballooned from £4.5bn to £15.3bn, driven by rising demand and slow case processing.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the two sites would serve as a “proof of concept” before potentially expanding the plan to other military or industrial locations. Prefabricated housing could also be added.
“This isn’t luxury accommodation,” Pollard told BBC Breakfast. “But it’s adequate and will help close asylum hotels faster.”
Opposition leader Keir Starmer blamed the previous government for leaving behind a “huge mess” in the asylum system, while Angus MacDonald, MP for Inverness, said he was surprised by the choice of a centrally located and open barracks for the project.