UK Plans 3 Military Sites for 3,750 Asylum Seekers as Hotel Use Falls to 170
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 25
UK Plans 3 Military Sites for 3,750 Asylum Seekers as Hotel Use Falls to 170
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 25
Summary
Three former military sites in Bicester, Barnham and Linton-on-Ouse could house about 3,750 asylum seekers, while the government also wants to extend use of camps in Crowborough and Wethersfield.
Twenty more asylum hotels were shut on Thursday, cutting the total to 170 as Labour tries to end a system that cost £2.1 billion in 2024-25 and once housed 56,000 people.
As of March, 20,885 asylum seekers—21% of the total—were still in hotels, while 72,768 were in other accommodation awaiting decisions on their claims.
The expansion faces political and local resistance: Conservatives demanded faster deportations, the Red Cross warned barracks can retraumatise refugees, and a planned Inverness site was dropped after protests.
The move comes ahead of an Immigration and Asylum Bill due next week that would increase forced removals, with Labour already under pressure after 41,472 small-boat arrivals in 2025.