Residents in Crowborough have spoken out against plans to house asylum seekers at a former military site, with locals warning the move has left parts of the community feeling “angry and scared”.
The concerns follow confirmation that asylum seekers have begun arriving at the Cadet Training Centre, which residents insist is not a disused army barracks, despite repeated claims from the Home Secretary that it is.
Locals say several coachloads have arrived in recent days, with plans to significantly scale the site up.
Criticism has also been directed at Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, after she said “Crowborough is just the first” and pledged to open more sites across the country.
One resident told Alex Armstrong on GB News: “The whole thing is disgraceful. To hear the Home Secretary saying ‘Crowborough is just the first’ and boasting about opening site after site feels like bragging about disrupting communities.
“Asylum seekers are being placed in locations that are not humane. Whatever government is in power needs to tackle the root cause.
“Army barracks, hotels none of this is right. But kicking thousands of cadets out of a functioning training centre on the edge of a small town with no infrastructure to support it is a terrible decision.
“My message to the Home Secretary is simple: this is reckless. To boast about it is disgraceful, and she should resign.”
Crowborough residents have called for the resignation of the Home Secretary
|
GB NEWS
Another person said: “As a resident, I’m angry and scared. I’m a 38-year-old man, but there’s only so much you can do if you’re attacked on your own.
“I speak to a lot of women in particular who tell me they’re terrified. One woman said she wouldn’t even go to Morrisons because of the underground car park.
“If people are scared to go shopping, that says everything. If Reform UK were in charge locally, we would have challenged this far more robustly, legally and through every available process.
“Nationally, our policy is to detain and deport. Yes, Reform supports the use of military sites, but as detention centres prior to deportation, not open accommodation.”
Reform UK has supported the use of old military sites, but stated it will use foreign aid as leverage, offering incentives to countries to take back asylum seekers, and threaten measures such as blocking visas or introducing sanctions if they refuse to comply.
The proposals form part of Reform UK’s wider push for stricter immigration controls and have already sparked debate over the practicality and ethics of using former military sites as temporary accommodation.
LATEST COVERAGE ON CROWBOROUGH
Residents have held regular protests against the move in Crowborough | PA
Meanwhile, Councillor Andrew Wilson added: “Initially, the council wrote to the Home Office saying it would be happy to work with them to make the plans as efficient as possible.
“The reaction from the town was almost immediate and very strong people said, ‘No, we do not want this here’.
“There were several public meetings early on, which were televised and broadcast, and they were universally opposed to the plan. When the council leadership finally saw the strength of that community reaction, they changed course.
“They effectively performed a Keir Starmer-style U-turn and voted to oppose the camp.
The problem is, I’ve not seen anything concrete from the council leadership since. Is there a dissenting voice?
“Are some people actually okay with illegal migrants being here? I haven’t met anyone in Crowborough who is happy about it.
“Those on the left generally oppose it because they argue the accommodation is inhumane.
“Those further to the right argue it’s about the small boats and stopping them. I’m much further right than left, and I believe this issue is playing out in towns across the UK because the Government continues to fail to get a grip on the border situation.
“Around 800 migrants arrived in the UK last week. This site will house about 540 at any one time. It won’t touch the sides. All it’s doing is warehousing the consequences of a Government failure into British communities.”
Crowborough saw mass protests throughout the summer as it was announced that 540 male asylum seekers would be housed in the local army barracks.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed 27 migrants were moved in last week, with local campaigners complaining they had been “smuggled in under the cover of darkness”.
The Home Office also confirmed that each migrant will be registered with a GP, located on site, where they will be able to attend appointments.