"The first asylum seekers have been moved into a former military site in East Sussex, the Home Office has confirmed. Twenty-seven people seeking asylum arrived at the Crowborough training camp on Thursday, which will eventually be scaled up to house more than 500. The government said the move was part of its "mission to end the use of expensive hotels". There have been frequent protests against the plans, which were first announced last year but had been put on hold."
"Wealden District Council leader James Partridge said housing asylum seekers at the site was the wrong decision. But he added: "We do need to make the best of it". Partridge called on the community to come together "in the way we did when the Afghan families and Ukrainian refugees arrived". He said the local authority was looking to see if it could legally challenge the move."
Twenty-seven asylum seekers were moved into the Crowborough training camp, a former military site in East Sussex, which will be expanded to house over 500 people. The government framed the relocation as part of ending expensive hotel use and reducing overall asylum costs. The move has provoked frequent local protests and Wealden District Council leader James Partridge called the decision wrong while urging community support and exploring legal challenges. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Crowborough is the first of multiple sites intended to close asylum hotels and return them to local communities. Officials say large sites form part of reforms to tackle illegal migration.
Read at www.bbc.com
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