Government looks to house asylum seekers in Crowborough until 2030
It's as twenty more asylum hotels shut - including the Cisswood in Horsham.
A campaign group says it's "not surprised" about the lack of consultation as the government looks to use a military camp in Crowborough to house asylum seekers for even longer.
It could be used until 2030 as 20 more asylum hotels shut - including the Cisswood in Horsham.
The camp accommodates up to 540 single adult men.
Kim Bailey, who brought legal action against the decision with her campaign group Crowborough Shield, described the move as "disappointing" for the community: "Alex Norris promised in the Home Affairs Select Committee that he would consult with us.
"He openly admitted publicly that he had failed Crowborough and that he would consult from here on.
"This is not consultation. This is just more failure and more ram raiding decisions through without proper consultation, without proper impact assessments."
Planning permission is also being sought at Ministry of Defence sites in Bicester in Oxfordshire, Barnham in Suffolk, and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, to accommodate 3,750 asylum seekers.
The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has fallen to its lowest level since data was first reported in 2022, according to Home Office figures published last month.
There were 20,885 people staying in such accommodation while they were awaiting a decision on their asylum claims at the end of March, down 35% year-on-year from 32,326.
Border security and asylum minister Alex Norris said: ”We promised to close every asylum hotel and hand them back to communities, and that is exactly what we are doing.
“Twenty more hotels have closed, and hotel numbers have more than halved since their peak.
"Instead, we’re moving asylum seekers into ex-military sites that are a far cry from the hotels the last Government left us with.
“This is a system being brought back under control – and we will not stop until the job is done.”