The Labour government has announced plans to house asylum seekers in three former military barracks, while also closing 20 hotels currently used for accommodation. Ministers have submitted planning permission requests to convert RAF Barnham in Suffolk, RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire, and a former Army barracks in Bicester, Oxfordshire, into facilities for asylum seekers. Plans also include extending the use of existing sites in Crowborough and Wethersfield, collectively creating nearly 5,000 additional beds.
These plans aim to fulfill Labour's pledge to cease using hotels for asylum seekers by the next general election. The number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has fallen to its lowest point since reporting began in 2022, with 20,885 individuals in such accommodation at the end of March, a 35% decrease year-on-year. Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris stated that the government is