This evening, the Home Office revealed plans for the use of additional large sites across the country to house asylum seekers, whilst also confirming its intention to extend the use of the Crowborough Training Camp as asylum accommodation until 2030.
In a U-turn on previous public assurances that they would only use Crowborough Training Camp for 12 months, the Home Office have announced they will now seek Planning Permission to continue using it until 2030. The Home Office have not confirmed the process they will use to do this but made clear they have no plans for any public consultation on their decision.
The announcement confirms what were the Home Office’s true intentions at Crowborough all along, despite previous attempts to deny it. Freedom of Information requests had already forced the Home Office to reveal it was spending £3m on establishing the site as asylum accommodation, an amount too high to simply be for 1 year of use. The Minister has been unable to confirm how much it was costing per person, per night to accommodate someone, indicating the cost at Crowborough may be more than at other sites and for hotels.
In a further twist, last month court papers revealed the Home Office had agreed an option with the Ministry of Defence to occupy the site until 2030, ringing alarm bells about plans being made behind closed doors to keep the site open for a much longer period of use than the 12 months Ministers were publicly claiming to still be their intention.
Nusrat has been shown a Home Office statement that is due to be published at 10:30pm tonight, in which the Home Office has finally confirmed publicly they will be seeking permission to remain at Crowborough until 2030.
Nusrat Ghani, who has been an outspoken campaigner against the Home Office using Crowborough Training Camp, said: “This is yet another blow for Crowborough residents, especially the Cadets and blue light services who are now being displaced from the site not for months, but for years. I will fight it all the way.
As a community we could all see the Home Office’s real game, which they have confirmed today. I have been relentless in challenging the Home Office and the Council every step of the way, pressing Ministers via letters and Freedom of Information Requests. I have told the Minister I will not accept the contempt with which his government is treating us by refusing to consult or have any meaningful engagement with local people.
When Freedom of Information requests forced the Home Office to reveal they were spending £3m on Crowborough Training Camp it was clear they planned to use it for a lot longer than just 12 months. Instead of waking up to the threat early on, Wealden District Council’s naïve Green & Liberal Democrat leadership have not done their due diligence, wasted time and failed to investigate Ministers, putting their political views on asylum seekers before the needs of local people.
I have continuously warned the Green/Liberal Democrat leadership of Wealden District Council failing to act as the Local Planning Authority would give the green light for the Home Office to use Crowborough Training Camp for years, regardless of the cost and evidence that the site is safe, legal and compliant.
Not putting up any meaningful resistance, whilst criticising those who were taking action, means the Home Office are doing exactly what they want and getting away with it.
The confirmation of the Home Office’s plans to extend the use of Crowborough Training Camp beyond the promised 12 months must now be a wakeup call to Wealden District Council’s Green & Liberal Democrat Leadership. They should have seen this coming and yet, they have refused to use their powers as a planning authority or support legal action being taken against the Home Office by Crowborough Shield CIC.
I will continue to lead the campaign to step up and stand up for Crowborough and challenge the Home Office as they give no guarantee that they will ever willingly leave the Crowborough site.”
