Crowborough Army Camp

Update – May 2026

Note – The council is not responsible for the running of the camp or the decisions of the Home Office but wishes to increase the extent of information shared with our residents. This update is provided by the council, due to the continued lack of up-to-date information being shared by the Home Office about their project. The council can only share/confirm information that is already public or that we have agreement from the relevant data owner that it is not confidential.

We continue to push the Home Office to share more information, more regularly with the public. Our next update is scheduled for mid June 2026.

• The Home Office Factsheet about the camp  was updated in April 2026 and the Home Office tell us that it will be updated every three months.
• We understand that there are now (early May) around 350 asylum seekers accommodated at the camp. The number is increasing gradually to a maximum of 540 at any one time. Based on Home Office data asylum seekers should be given decisions on the asylum claims within approximately 80 days of arriving at the camp and so we expect some of the early arrivals to be receiving their decisions in the coming days/weeks. Decisions are not taken on the site and if accepted, asylum seekers go into the national dispersal system, meaning they will not be staying locally in Crowborough.
• Protests continue at the camp, generally taking place every Sunday morning. Sussex Police work with the protest organisers to keep everyone safe, not least given the location on the A26.
• Volunteer groups are now being allowed access to the camp in order to supplement the Home Office support for the asylum seekers. To date, we understand that this has mostly focussed on English language and music lessons and the provision of basic additional clothing (E.G winter coats).
• There continues to be significant amounts of incorrect or misleading information shared online about the camp. We are working with a variety of agencies to encourage more public corrections. We are keen for residents to be very wary about what they are reading. As an example, it was recently stated on social media that hundreds of electric bikes had been delivered to the camp. This is not correct, as verified by visits to the camp by this Council. Electric bikes are not allowed on site due to the potential fire risk.
• In April the Council provided evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee in response to their investigation of the Home Office actions and engagement in the opening and running of the camp. 
• A new challenge to the Home Office decision to use the camp has been lodged by Crowborough Shield CIC (CS). Following disclosure of documents from the Home Office, CS have reduced their initial grounds of challenge. This updated challenge has been given permission to proceed to a hearing that is due to take place in July. Wealden remain an interested party in the claim, but are taking no active role, for the reasons explained in our 3 March press release. 
• We know that many residents remain concerned about the potential for increased criminality in the town. It may help to know that official records (www.police.uk) indicate the crime rates in Crowborough remain at consistently very low levels. The council will continue to work with our colleagues at Sussex Police to reduce both the incidence and fear of crime in our community
• The council wrote last week to the Home Office minister Alex Norris MP to seek clarity about the length of usage of the camp. The Home Office has said repeatedly that the use of the site would be limited to 12 months, however there are indications that they are seeking to extend this. We are pushing the Home Office for answers and will publish any response we receive.
• The Home Office were invited to attend our Scrutiny & Performance Committee on 18 May to provide an update to the Council and community on their use of the camp and answer questions from Councillors. On the 15 May, the Home Office declined this invitation. The committee discussed the camp and next steps to hold the Home Office to account. You can watch the recording of the meeting. 
• The Home Office have confirmed that Wealden, on behalf of Local authorities responsible for the camp, will receive funding to support the Asylum Seekers at the camp. We have set up a dedicated page, setting out the terms of this funding here. It is important to note that the council has not yet received any funding and when it does (expected by the end of June), under the terms of the funding by the Home Office, it can only be used to support Asylum Seekers resident at the camp. We are in early discussions with a range of organisations as to how this funding should be spent over the coming months.