LONDON: The UK government has begun relocating asylum seekers from taxpayer-funded hotels to disused military barracks as part of efforts to reduce accommodation costs and discourage new asylum applications.
According to British media reports, 27 asylum seekers have already been transferred to former army facilities in East Sussex. The Home Office confirmed that up to 500 asylum applicants will be housed at the Crowborough training camp.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the move is aimed at ending the long-term use of expensive hotels for asylum accommodation. She stated that the government would continue introducing alternative sites until all hotels currently used for asylum seekers are closed.
For years, asylum applicants arriving in the UK were housed in hotels at public expense while their cases were processed. However, growing public pressure over the cost to taxpayers has pushed the government to change its policy. Officials estimate that more than £9 million per day was being spent on over 400 hotels used for asylum seekers under the previous government.
Although the number of hotels has now fallen to fewer than 200, the Home Office says the overall costs have only dropped by about 15% so far.
The decision to move asylum seekers into former military barracks has sparked protests in some areas. Despite the backlash, the government believes that relocating migrants to basic facilities rather than luxury hotels will reduce the UK’s appeal as a destination for those seeking asylum primarily for economic reasons.
The Home Office maintains that the policy is necessary to ease the financial burden on the public and respond to rising public concern over the use of tax money for asylum accommodation.
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