Residents living next to the Highland barracks earmarked to house hundreds of asylum seekers have told how they fear for their daughters’ security walking to school.
At a special meeting of Highland council, councillors warned that the community’s “sense of security” would be compromised by housing the 300 men at the Cameron Barracks in Inverness without sufficient planning.
The plan was announced at the end of October and forms part of the Labour government’s attempts to reduce the numbers of asylum seekers staying in hotels.
Four years ago the army training base, which was first occupied by a battalion in 1886, housed families fleeing from Afghanistan. It sits alongside a residential housing estate and is a short walk from the city centre.
The expectation is for the base to house men aged between 25 and 64 for a period of 12 months before the site is returned to the Ministry of Defence.
During a special meeting of Highland council there was widespread anger at the lack of consultation from the Home Office.
Isabelle MacKenzie, from the Scottish Conservatives, called for an immediate pause on the scheme until proper planning and support for local services could be agreed.
Isabelle MacKenzie
PETER JOLLY/NORTHPIX
She said: “The proposal to house asylum seekers in Cameron Barracks is the wrong plan in the wrong place. Parents are worried about their daughters walking to school, work or the gym. These fears are real and must not be dismissed.
“I know this area well. It is a safe, neighbourly part of Inverness. That sense of security must not be compromised by decisions made without transparency or planning. The lack of communication has fuelled confusion and fear. Highlanders deserve facts not speculation.
“Inverness deserves transparency, our residents deserve safety and those seeking refuge deserve dignity, not cold barracks on a hillside.”
The Home Office has said it is working to “accelerate delivery” on the closure of asylum hotels but no additional funding has yet been guaranteed for Inverness.
The plan is for 300 men to be housed at the barracks for a year
IAIN MASTERTON
The lack of detail on the Inverness plans has raised fears about anti-migrant protests.
There were clashes between far-right supporters and anti-racism campaigners in demonstrations in Falkirk earlier this year.
A petition against the use of Cameron Barracks for asylum seekers has gained more than 11,000 signatures.
• Immigration now one of Scottish voters’ top concerns
At Highland council there was repeated condemnation of the approach taken by the Home Office. Several councillors indicated the lack of clear information was leading to growing community concern.
Raymond Bremner, the council leader, said there had been “no real engagement” and the UK government’s lack of response to a letter asking for clarifications on various points was “disrespectful”.
Raymond Bremner, the leader of Highland council
PETER JOLLY/NORTHPIX
He said: “What makes a town centre in the north of Scotland, in the middle of winter, a viable solution?”
Alasdair Christie, from the Liberal Democrats, said: “Never have I seen a situation where central government has kept a local authority in the dark so much.”
There have been concerns about the potential impact on local services as well as the investment needed to upgrade the barracks.
Andrew MacKintosh, from Labour, was one of many in the chamber who were more sympathetic towards the plan.
“I do not give any credence to the suggestion these asylum seekers will be a group of wrongdoers. Lack of information is the biggest problem with the worries that are coming,” he said. “The Highlands has a long proud tradition of giving a warm welcome to strangers and those in need. I see no reason why we should deny that proud heritage on this occasion.”
Separately, dozens of children were reported to have been pulled out of classes after it emerged migrants were being taught English there during school hours. After protests by parents, Renfrewshire council said the language lessons would be moved away from the community learning centre at St James Primary School.