Letter to Home Secretary calls for closure of “inhumane” asylum accommodation camps at former military sites

A group of 44 migrant support, refugee and human rights organisations have called on the Government to urgently close large-scale asylum accommodation sites at former military bases, describing the conditions are inhumane and warning that people are being denied access to legal support and advice.

In an eight-page letter to the Home Secretary (available here), the groups criticised the use of sites in Crowborough, East Sussex, and Wethersfield, Essex to house asylum seekers, as well as planned new sites in Bicester, Barnham, and Linton-on-Ouse.

The letter was co-ordinated by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and follows visits by legal representatives and support organisations to residents at Crowborough and ongoing work by charities supporting people at both sites. It says asylum seekers, many of whom will have experienced multiple traumatic events, are being housed in poor, unhygienic, prison-like conditions. Living conditions at Crowborough are described as freezing during winter months and excessively hot during summer heatwaves.

Highlighting what it calls "inhumane" conditions at the East Sussex site, the letter continues: "[R]esidents are being housed in communal rooms with as many as 16 to a room. This is unsafe, undignified and morally wrong. It also appears to contradict a recent High Court ruling that the changes to Home Office policy removing the protective presumption that survivors of torture, trafficking or other forms of serious physical, psychological or sexual violence and those with disabilities should not be forced to share rooms was unlawful."

The organisations said they also believed the Home Office is failing its statutory duties under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 by not properly screening arrivals to identify victims of trafficking. Most of the residents at Crowborough that said they were victims of trafficking told JCWI's lawyers that the Home Office did not ask them about this and the questions they did ask did not encourage or allow them to self-identify.

A lack of access to legal advice is another central concern. The organisations say that people held in the former military sites do not have access to justice, with substantive asylum interviews are being conducted while residents are effectively cut off from legal support. Residents at Crowborough are said to be attending interviews without ever having spoken to a lawyer or received proper legal advice.

The letter explains: "At Crowborough, as continues to be the case at Wethersfield, this access is being systematically obstructed, due to both camps being situated in legal aid deserts, as well as lack of communication infrastructure and delayed correspondence. … Official correspondence to the camp is often severely delayed or sent to email addresses the men do not know how to access. This lack of communication means that men are missing critical deadlines for their legal cases. We were told of cases of delays in post receipt leading to missed tribunal deadlines, potentially deciding their fate without them having a fair chance to present their case."

The organisations also criticised the cost of large-scale accommodation sites, stating that housing asylum seekers in former military facilities was more expensive than community-based accommodation. They cited a cost of £135 per night at Wethersfield compared with £23.25 per night for dispersal accommodation, according to figures from the National Audit Office referenced in their letter.

Griff Ferris, spokesperson for JCWI, called on the Government to close the "shameful camps", describing the treatment of asylum seekers as "disgustingly cruel and inhumane". Charlotte Khan of Care4Calais said the sites were harmful to refugees' health and wellbeing and re-traumatising for survivors of torture and modern slavery.

Sophie McCann of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) UK commented: "MSF medical teams have witnessed first-hand the severe psychological harm caused by these mass containment sites, particularly for people have already survived torture, persecution, violence and detention. These performatively cruel policies must end. People seeking safety must be housed in dignified accommodation with communities."

Last month, the Government said it would be expanding the use of large, basic facilities, including former military sites, as asylum accommodation in order to replace the use of hotels.

Alex Norris, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, confirmed that new accommodation sites were being considered at MoD Barnham, MoD Bicester and MoD Linton-on-Ouse. In addition, the Government would seek to extend the use of Crowborough and expand both the capacity and duration of use at Wethersfield.