Hundreds of people have taken to the streets today to protested over controversial plans to house 540 migrants in a former cadet camp.
Male asylum seekers are set to move into army barracks in Crowborough as part of a government plan to reduce the number of hotels it uses to house them.
Since the announcement, furious locals have marched through the Sussex town every Sunday in opposition to the plans.
Today they resumed their protest, with hundreds gathering outside the former barracks before marching through the town with a police escort.
Campaigners have accused the Home Office of ‘shameful and deceitful’ behaviour after photos emerged of equipment being ‘smuggled’ into the site.
Pictures show trucks delivering what campaigners say is a large amount of food and refrigeration units have been spotted at the camp.
It comes after the Home Office stressed no final decision on whether to use the camp had been made.
A crowd of campaigners took to the streets of Crowborough waving flags for the 12th week in a row
Since the announcement, furious locals have marched through the Sussex town every Sunday in opposition to the plans
Campaigners are furious at a lack of consultation with the community and accused the Home Secretary of ‘riding roughshod’ over the feelings of a community.
Many say the former sheltered housing should instead be used by the under-pressure NHS to relieve bed-blocking in hospitals.
They also fear that if the proposal goes ahead, it could house single men about whose backgrounds they know nothing, leaving them feeling unsafe in their own homes.
Crowborough Shield – a community action group – has raised more than £93,000 to help fund legal action to seek a Judicial Review of the Home Office plans.
Campaigner, Eddie Fahey, said: ‘When you see equipment being smuggled in under the cover of darkness then you know that decision has already been taken and any claims to the contrary are lies.
‘It’s a disgrace we are being treated like this. It is shameful that our justifiable concerns are being ignored.’
Paddy Mounfield said: ‘This is more evidence that the Home Office has made a decision to proceed . Show this to the courts and they will see what liars the government are.’
Jenni Lin said: ‘I am expecting the camp to be occupied by next week. No information, transparency or honesty from any politicians, local or national.
‘Starmer keeps saying he’s closing asylum hotels to ease pressure on communities yet is sending 540 to a community that does not have the infrastructure to support its existing community.’
Locals waved the St George’s and Union Flag and held up banners reading ‘Crowborough says no’
A group of locals adorned in British flags watch as the marchers make their way through the town
Campaigners are furious at a lack of consultation with the community before the plans were made
Campaigners meet and greet over a shared disappointment of the Home Office decision
Ben Reid said: ‘The behaviour of the Home Office is nothing short of shameful. They are being completely deceitful to the people of Crowborough who deserve to be consulted about something that will change the town so much.
‘It’s an absolute disgrace that the lives of a community are being run over roughshod in this fashion. The Government will see that at the ballot box.’
Crowborough Shield says there has been a lack of transparency surrounding the decision and are angry at a lack of consultation from the Home Office.
It has raised serious concerns about staffing at the camp, police provision and the impact on infrastructure and health services.
Kim Bailey, a director, yesterday said: ‘We know there’s been a lot of activity up at the camp with food trucks and lots of other things going on up there.,
‘Now we don’t know when the asylum seekers are coming. We don’t have any further information form the Home Office. They still maintain they haven’t made any decision yet. We all know that’s not true.
‘We think it’s really important to come out and remind the Home Office and the Home Secretary that we are steadfast in what we are saying.
‘These reckless decisions about our town that impact on our way of life is not just something we are going to stand by and let happen.
‘There needs to be due process, there needs to be impact assessment and there needs to be involvement with us as residents.’
Locals held up placards to voice their disapproval of plans to house migrants in a former army barracks
One sign read ‘Betrayed by our leaders. We have rights too’, while another read: Stop the madness
Today marchers took to the streets for the 12th time to protest against the Home Office plans.
In a letter to the local authority, Wealden District Council, the Home Office wrote: ‘The final decision on whether to use the Crowborough site for accommodating asylum seekers has not yet been taken.’
It has apologised for its handling of its plans to use the Crowborough camp to house asylum seekers, but says it is determined to stamp out the use of hotels to house migrants.
A spokesman previously said: ‘We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.
‘This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.
‘We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across government so that we can accelerate delivery.’
