Families have criticised Labour‘s plans to ‘dump’ hundreds of asylum seekers in ‘unsuitable’ military bases on their doorstep at a time local services are already stretched to breaking point.
Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex have been lined up to house 900 male asylum seekers in a bid to reduce the use of asylum hotels.
But a major backlash is underway, with residents and politicians insisting the sites are unfit for purpose.
In Inverness, councillors have raised concerns over ‘community cohesion’ resulting from the sudden arrival of more than 300 men in a ‘relatively small community’ – with saltires and union flags attached to the gates of the barracks in an impromptu protest.
Just 15 minutes’ walk from Inverness city centre, the site is flanked by Millburn Academy and hundreds of houses, many of them belonging to the families of servicemen working there.
Angus MacDonald, the local Liberal Democrat MP, said he was not opposed to the use of army camps to house asylum seekers but insisted Cameron Barracks were the wrong location given their proximity to local people.
‘I very much thought the idea of putting them in army camps was to have them out of town, and make them less of an issue for the local population,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He also raised concern about the lack of security around the barracks, which is ‘secured only by a modest fence’ and suggested asylum seekers could simply ‘up sticks and leave’ when they become tired of the Scottish winter.
Despite its handsome appearance, Inverness has pockets of deprivation, with 2,239 homeless people on the council’s waiting list for accommodation, and the city’s Raigmore Hospital regularly issuing ‘code black’ alerts for overcrowding
With council services already under strain, residents are concerned the sudden arrival of hundreds of men will add to the pressure.
A ‘you’re not welcome’ sign outside Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex
Hundreds of residents attended a public meeting in Crowborough organised by Reform UK
An aerial view of the military training base in East Sussex
Local man David McKenzie, 59, described the decision to move asylum seekers into the barracks as ‘out of order’.
He told the Mail: ‘You’ve got people here who’ve been homeless for years but these people are being moved into the barracks and then into homes.
‘For them to come here without Scotland getting a say whether we want them or not isn’t right.
‘The fear is we know nothing about them. They’ve not got a visa, they’ve got nothing to let us know who they are.
‘Paedophiles, rapists, gangsters…they could be anyone. A lot of people my age with a bit of sense will know what’s coming.’
His views were echoed by Julie Logie, 61, who said: ‘Why have them come over here at all? I never for one moment thought the barracks would be catering for the likes of them.
‘Who knows what will happen. Inverness has already gotten a bad name from the likes of drugs. People here won’t like it and I’d be worried it could cause trouble on the streets.
‘We’ve seen what’s happened in England with asylum seekers raping and murdering so I’m worried that will happen here too.’
As the population of the city and surrounding area continues to grow, recorded as 83,000 in the 2021 census compared to 79,000 a decade before, essential services have struggled to keep pace.
At Inverness’s Raigmore Hospital 33 per cent of A&E patients have to wait more than four hours according to the most recent figures.
This comes as the Scottish Government has stated only 61 per cent of new outpatient appointments were completed within 12 weeks.
Several dentists have been forced to refuse new NHS patients due to full capacity. In the general Highlands region dental waiting times are now 11 weeks longer than in 2019.
In the transport system local bus fares increased by 10 per cent earlier this year with residents reporting the standard of service had dropped.
The local Millburn Academy is currently over capacity with 1,290 pupils attending despite a maximum of 1,195 stated by the local authority.
Parts of the Highland Council HQ are also set to be demolished after asbestos was found.
While the 19th century East Church needs urgent repairs which will likely cost the local purse hundreds of thousands in pounds.
Other families are concerned about possible safety risks posed by a large influx of young men.
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, has a 15-year-old daughter at Millburn Academy.
A woman asks questions at the event on Thursday night
Union flags and Saltires have been hung outside the entrance to Cameron Barracks in Inverness as part of an apparent protest
A saltire hanging on a lamppost on the road leading to Cameron Barracks
She said: ‘Regardless of your beliefs there will always be a concern as a parent that your child might come to harm.
‘Whether that’s being sexually assaulted, groomed or whatever. It’s not nice to have this on our doorstep.
‘But I suspect there’s nothing we can do about it. We just need to educate our kids more about keeping safe.
‘It’s worrying though. I don’t take any pleasure in saying this especially when I’m sure many are decent people coming.’
However not all locals were opposed to the controversial plans.
Nurse Graham White, 42, said: ‘I don’t have a strong opinion but they have to go somewhere and it’s cheaper than the hotels.’
Hotel worker Karmen Brisco, 60, has first hand knowledge of how new arrivals might be welcomed having moved legally to the UK five years ago from Romania.
She said: ‘I love Inverness, the people and my job. I have two daughters and five granddaughters with me. I’ve loved my time here.
‘The community has always welcomed us and I think would do the same with the new people. It’s a good idea to use the barracks if they are empty.’
Asylum centres are the responsibility of the Home Office, not the local council.
Officials have also sought to placate councillors by promising that asylum applications will not be processed in Inverness.
Even so, members of the Highland Council have united to oppose the plans.
A joint statement from council convener Bill Lobban, leader Raymond Bremner, and opposition leader Alasdair Christie said: ‘We await more details on how Inverness was selected over other available locations and how community cohesion will be maintained given the large number of asylum seekers planned relative to the local population.’
The councillors said they had ‘repeatedly’ sought written confirmation from the Home Office on the plans.
‘The UK Government has informed us that their accommodation will be self-contained, with all necessary services provided on site,’ they said.
‘Their intention is to use the barracks for short-term accommodation before people are moved to dispersed housing around the UK to await the outcome of their asylum applications.
‘Our main concern is the impact this proposal will have on community cohesion given the scale of the proposals as they currently stand.
‘Inverness is a relatively small community but the potential impact locally and across the wider Highlands appears not to have been taken into consideration by the UK Government.’
Mother Claire Firmager said her daughter lives near the main entrance and she fears for her safety
A photo inside one of the rooms at Crowborough that will be occupied by asylum seekers
Work is underway to prepare the site for its new residents
Down at Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex, local people expressed similar concerns to their counterparts in Scotland.
Like Cameron Barracks, it was previously used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021 before they were resettled elsewhere.
The town of Crowborough is probably best known for its proximity to Ashdown Forest, the home of Winnie the Pooh.
The camp itself has a proud history going back to the war when it was used by Canadian forces preparing for D-Day.
Like the residents of Inverness, people in Crowborough were concerned about the potential for the new arrivals – who will number 600 – to swamp their local community of less than 22,000.
The asylum seekers are ‘non-detained’, meaning they will be free to leave their site should they wish.
‘I might as well tear up the For Sale sign,’ one angry homeowner said.
Crowborough is a typical Sussex town with a traditional hardware store and a small local police station.
Christine Straker, who lives near the main entrance to the camp, contrasted the new arrivals – who will be single male men – with the Afghans the camp previously housed.
She told the Mail: ‘They’ve given freedom to all these boat people and taken our freedom away. There will be 600 men here, not families.
‘When there were families living here, we welcomed them.’
Mrs Straker said resentment against the migrants has been fuelled by the lack of consideration for local fears.
‘There has been no consultation whatsoever. I just don’t feel safe. It’s just a knee jerk reaction from the government,’ she said.
Just 15 minutes’ walk from Inverness city centre, Cameron Barracks is flanked by a Premier Inn, Inverness Golf Club, Millburn Academy secondary school and hundreds of houses
Fellow resident Lucy Haddon said: ‘I’m worried about the old people and our daughters.
‘This is an area of outstanding natural beauty, Ashdown Forest is right behind it and these people have no respect for it or our town.
‘This town has a lot of old people and some of them are vulnerable. I’m worried about my daughter and the town.
‘I don’t want her to be out at night on her own and my husband doesn’t even want me to be walking on my own. This is all going to be in our back yard.’
The camp is home to local cadet groups.
‘I’ve heard the MoD is really annoyed with this because there will be nowhere for the cadets to train now,’ Ms Haddon continued.
‘We’ve heard it’s only supposed to be for a year, but none of us believe that.
‘We moved from London to get away from gangs and crime and 600 is a lot to come to our small town.
‘There’s going to be nothing for them to do here. What are they going to do all day?’
Mother Claire Firmager said her daughter lives near the main entrance and she fears for her safety.
‘I’ve not slept since I heard about it – we were not told anything about this before we heard about it on the news,’ she said.
‘My daughter lives right beside it with her child on her own and I’m really scared for her.
‘I’m going to have to install panic alarms in my house, I’m so afraid for my own safety.’
A public meeting in Crowborough on Thursday night heard angry locals demand action against plans to use an army training camp to house up to 600 migrants.
Many called for protests and asked why their local MP was not attending the public meeting.
More than 300 people packed into the hall at Crowborough Community Centre with hundreds more locked out.
The meeting – organised by Reform UK – was called so locals could vent their anger at the migrant plan.
Independent councillor Andrew Wilson was the only elected official to answer questions from the floor.
He told the assembly he was unable to answer many of their questions.
Local Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani was invited, he said.
Despite obvious local opposition to the migrant plan, the council had failed to make any representations to Whitehall.
Mr Wilson said: ‘The council have sat on their hands. There is time to mount a challenge.’
Questions from the assembled locals focused on how the community could prevent the plan from going ahead and how the town would cope if it did.
Others wanted to know how the men would be vetted and if the local police would be able to cope.
‘We have no idea who these people are,’ a woman called out.
‘It only takes one,’ another local said.
Cllr Wilson, as the only elected politician willing to take questions, said he was sceptical about promises the camp would only be used for 12 months.
The Wealden District Council member of the opposition said: ‘I am cynical,’ he said.
On the size of the camp compared to the population of the town he said: ‘I believe this is the largest in the country.’
Locals shouted for action and wanted to know why their MP was not at the meeting.
‘Why are they not here to answer questions,’ one man said.
Another woman called out: ‘Negative policing, we are the enemy.’
‘What are the security checks,’ another local demanded to know.
Cllr Wilson said: ‘I can’t give you any kind of answer.’
‘Crowborough is a lovely place to live. If we let these people move in, we are going to be all over the news and we won’t be able to sell our houses,’ a woman said.
‘The next thing will be the government buying up the houses.’
Cllr Wilson to the meeting he had been told migrants could be moving into the camp by the end of November.
The few voices who questioned why their local community was so against the camp were shouted down.
The army training camp on the edge of town will be home to at least 600 lone male migrants in the new year, the Home Office said.
Conservative MP for Sussex Weald Nus Ghani started an online petition calling the plans ‘wholly inappropriate’.
The use of military sites is part of Government efforts to end the use of asylum hotels, which a parliamentary committee branded ‘failed, chaotic and expensive’ last week.
MPs blasted the department’s ‘incompetence’ over its handling of a ‘failed, chaotic and expensive’ system.
There was ‘manifest failure’ by the Home Office to ‘get a grip’ of contracts with private companies it appointed to house asylum seekers, they concluded.
As a result, the firms had been allowed to make ‘excessive profits’ from the Channel crisis.
In one of the most damning reports ever published into the dysfunctional department, MPs said the Home Office was ‘not up to this challenge’ and demanded a series of major changes.
The Commons’ home affairs select committee said it was ‘inexplicable’ the Home Office did not require accommodation providers to assess the impact on local areas before opening migrant hotels.
It had led to ‘some local services experiencing unsustainable pressures’, damaging community cohesion and allowing ‘misinformation and mistrust to grow’.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.
‘This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well under way, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities.
‘We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across government so that we can accelerate delivery.’
