UK Home Office to move asylum seekers into former military bases as hotel closures proceed

The Home Office is seeking planning permission to accommodate up to 5,000 asylum seekers at three former Ministry of Defence sites – RAF Barnham in Suffolk, RAF Linton‑on‑Ouse in North Yorkshire and a former Army barracks in Bicester, Oxfordshire – while extending use of existing bases at Crowborough and Wethersfield. The move follows the closure of 20 additional hotels, reducing the number of people housed in hotels to around 20,000, down from a September 2023 peak of 56,000. Local councils and residents have opposed the plans, citing inadequate infrastructure and potential retraumatisation of migrants.

The government’s Immigration and Asylum Bill, due in Parliament next week, will increase forced removals, tighten age‑assessment rules and replace independent asylum tribunals with a Home Office‑run appeals body. Analysts say the bill could retrospectively double the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years, affecting an estimated 2 million current residents, including up to 600,000 children, and raising concerns about child poverty and labour exploitation. Labour has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels and to cut related costs by £170 million this year, while opposition parties debate the broader approach to migration control.