A furious Crowborough resident has accused Labour of acting “sneakily” after asylum seekers were moved into a former military site overnight, branding the move “utterly shameful”.
At least 27 men have arrived at the Crowborough training camp in East Sussex, with the Home Office confirming plans to scale the site up to house more than 500 migrants as part of its mission to end the use of migrant hotels.
Speaking to Home and Security Editor Mark White, Kim Bailey, director of the Crowborough Shield Residents group, said: “Yeah, it’s absolutely shameful.
"And it just sums up the Home Office’s behaviour and attitude towards this community, I think. It’s just utterly shameful.
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“They’ve said that their two ambitions are to reduce the impact on communities and to reduce the cost of asylum hotels. Well, this does not meet either of those ambitions.
“It’s more expensive when you think about the amount that’s got to go into it, millions of taxpayers’ money to get the site habitable.
“And the impact on communities this isn’t 100 people in a city in a hotel. This is up to 600 men on the edge of a town, with little infrastructure and nothing for them to do. So it does not meet those objectives and it’s just reckless.
”Asked about her fears over the impact on the local area, she said: “It’s a community that lacks a lot of resources because it’s such a small community.
Residents have accused Labour of acting 'sneakily' after asylum seekers were moved into the former military site
|GB NEWS
"We were told that all of the asylum seekers would have to register with GPs, and we know what it’s like to try and get a GP appointment at 8 am. The infrastructure isn’t there.
“There is nothing for them to do in this town. There are a few shops, churches and schools — that’s it. So what are these men going to do?
“We know they’re bused into other towns, but again it’s the secrecy. They’re using these emergency powers to sneak this through, and there’s been no consultation with us as well.
“No one has engaged with this community to say how this is actually going to work. And that is one of the biggest worries for local residents.
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The Crowborough training camp is in East Sussex
| PA“We’ve seen it in other locations where migrants are housed. The very fact that they will be free to come and go into these local communities, often small communities.”
Asked whether legal action was being pursued, Ms Bailey added: “Yeah, absolutely. We have asked the courts to expedite the case. We want to get the case heard as soon as possible.
“The Home Secretary at the moment is unlawfully withholding disclosure they won’t give disclosure. So we’re pushing for that and trying to insist that they comply with a duty of candour.
“So yeah, we are pushing forward and we hope to have a judicial review heard as soon as possible.”
The Government said the decision forms part of its plan to phase out the use of costly asylum hotels, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warning that “Crowborough is just the start”.
The plans have sparked repeated protests since they were first unveiled last year, before being delayed.
The Government said the use of large-scale sites such as Crowborough is central to its reforms aimed at tackling illegal migration and reducing so-called “pull factors”.
Shabana Mahmood said: “I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities.”
The Home Office stated more than 400 hotels were opened under the previous Government for £9 million a day.
It added that just under 200 remain in use, with overall asylum costs now down 15 per cent.
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