Group hoping for legal action over Crowborough asylum camp
Crowborough Shield is heading to the High Court to see if there are any grounds for a judicial review.
A group behind mass protests against asylum seekers being housed in Crowborough is headed for a High Court hearing to see if there are legal grounds against the decision.
Crowborough Shield is seeing if there are any grounds for a judicial review.
The Home Office announced last year it would house over 500 men there in a bid to end the use of asylum hotels.
Kim Bailey, who launched Crowborough Shield as a response, said the community was not consulted about the plans: "it's not about immigration, it's not about stopping the boats," she told Greatest Hits Radio.,
"This is about a decision that has been made by government without due process, without due regard and without any sort of consultation with the community that it's going to affect."
Wealden District Council said in a statement it will appear in court as an interested party "in keeping with our long standing strong objection to the decision": "We sent legal arguments to the court explaining why the Home Office were wrong to open the camp and why the courts should allow a full hearing to overturn that decision.
"Our position has been consistent throughout.
"The council has objected strongly to this camp from the outset - we passed a motion at Full Council in November to say so.
"We instructed two leading King's Counsel barristers early on to advise us every step of the way. We are acting in line with that advice.
"Crowborough Shield commenced legal proceedings. We joined that action as an interested party – we were not required to, we chose to.
"We can and have made arguments to the court to say why they should overturn the decision of the Home Office.
"Our legal arguments support some of the points made by Crowborough Shield as we share their condemnation of the behaviour of the Home Office, but we have also advanced more detailed planning arguments.
"We can't start a second separate legal action. "Our case will be fully presented in the current action, our legal advisers have made it very clear that the courts will not look kindly on us starting a second, similar legal action.
"We want this decision overturned. The camp is not good for anyone."
We've approached the Home Office for comment.