Key facts
- The Home Office plans to use three former military sites to house asylum seekers.
- These sites could accommodate up to 3,750 asylum seekers.
- Charities and local stakeholders have criticized the plans as "arrogant," "costly," and a "political fix."
- Critics argue that using former military sites is more expensive than hotels and isolates asylum seekers.
- The number of asylum seekers housed in UK hotels has decreased significantly.
The UK Home Office has announced plans to house thousands of asylum seekers in three former military sites: MOD Bicester in Oxfordshire, RAF Barnham in Suffolk, and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. These sites are intended to provide "basic" accommodation for up to 3,750 claimants, as part of a strategy to close asylum hotels. The government also intends to extend the use of existing sites like Crowborough and Wethersfield, with Wethersfield's capacity set to increase.
However, these proposals have faced strong condemnation from refugee charities and local stakeholders. Critics, including the Refugee Council, argue that such large-scale sites are more expensive than hotels and isolate asylum seekers from essential services and local communities. They point to past government watchdog findings that barracks accommodation costs more overall. Local politicians and community groups in Bicester and Linton-on-Ouse have voiced opposition, recalling previous failed attempts and citing concerns about the suitability and remoteness of the locations.
Residents of Wethersfield expressed disappointment, stating that assurances of temporary use were not being honored. The Home Office stated that the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has fallen to its lowest level since 2022, with 20,885 people awaiting decisions at the end of March, a 35% decrease year-on-year. The government also announced the closure of 20 asylum hotels. Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer linked the closure of hotels to a reduction in Channel crossings.