On the evening of 21 January 2026 we were notified via a telephone call with the Secretary of State that she had taken a formal decision to use the Crowborough Army Camp for the accommodation of asylum seekers. We were further notified on 22 January that 27 asylum seekers had been moved in overnight on the 21/22 January.
What action is the council taking in response to this decision, including any discussions with central government or relevant authorities?
We have referred the Home Office’s letters to our legal team for consideration of whether there are grounds to challenge the decision. The main things we have done are listed here. This is regularly updated.
We continue to have a weekly operational meeting between Home Office officials and officers from ESCC, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, NHS, Wealden and other national agencies.
Whether the council is considering or has taken any legal steps, regarding the suitability of the site for this purpose?
We have engaged two King’s Counsel (national legal experts) to advise us on the public law and planning aspects of the Home Office’s decision and the options available to the council to challenge this through the legal and planning processes.
We have also joined a current judicial review action, as an interested party, that seeks to challenge the Home Office about their decision to use the Camp.
When was Legal Action taken and on what grounds?
We have referred the Home Office’s letters to our legal team for consideration of whether there are grounds to challenge this decision. We are also a party to a current judicial review application that is seeking to ask the court to overturn the Home Office’s decision to use the Camp.
We cannot talk about legal issues in detail because that could prejudice any further action and endanger the legal privilege which protects our legal advice from disclosure in any court proceedings.
Why has a stop notice not been issued, if indeed one is applicable in this situation?
A stop notice is not an available legal remedy for this site.
The council cannot, by law, take any enforcement action (other than the serving of notices) against the Home Office and/or Ministry of Defence for the use of this site, without the agreement of the Home Secretary and/or Defence Secretary.
The Home Office are using emergency planning powers (the Class Q exemption) which means that the government have granted themselves planning permission so we can’t claim a breach of planning, which in turn means we can’t issue a stop notice.
We continue to seek urgent legal advice from our barristers and will act in accordance with that advice.
What security, support, and communication plans, will be implemented to protect and reassure both residents and those who may be placed at the camp?
These measures are in the hands of the Home Office and its contractor who will be running the site and, for management of community tension and other community policing matters, Sussex Police. The website on the above link shows the many questions about this which have been put to the Home Office and their replies to date.
We have called on the Home Office to put in place various communications steps which it could take including: a weekly, in-person, “surgery” in the town to allow local people the chance to speak directly to the Home Office about any issues they have with the camp; and weekly bulletin style updates direct from the Home Office to all residents of the town.
Has a ‘Letter Before Action’ been Sent?
We have referred the Home Office’s letters to our legal team for consideration of whether there are grounds to challenge the decision.
It is worth clarifying here the meaning of this term. A ‘letter before action’ is a legal term used to describe a letter being sent by the council in this instance before it lodges its formal legal action in order to extract information to inform whether a legal challenge is an available option.
Has there been a full assessment of our town’s capacity to absorb such a large increase in population?
The Home Office has produced a “Community Impact Assessment” but it has not been shared with us yet. This document evaluates the potential positive and negative effects of a proposal on the community. The assessment will analyse the impact on various groups and identify mitigation measures.
The council is working with the local public sector partners who will be responsible for providing services to the site or the asylum seekers, such as East Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue and the NHS. We have collectively produced a Community Impact Assessment (CIA) following a standard format and shared this with the Home Office, in order to highlight our concerns.
As local partners, we have had to base this CIA on our understanding of the Home Office plans, predominantly from informal briefings, despite numerous requests for formal detailed plans. In this context, the CIA is a working document that will be updated as the Home Office plans evolve. We cannot share the CIA as it includes information that the HO say is confidential and remains in draft form as there are many outstanding questions local partners have with the Home Office.
How will already stretched local services, including healthcare, housing, and policing, cope with this added demand?
One of the purposes of producing a CIA (see above) is to answer this sort of question. We do not have those answers yet, but understand that the Home Office have worked with NHS Sussex to ensure that health screening and some primary care is provided on site, with the aim of not impacting on local health services. We have not been shared the details of these plans.
What course of action is Wealden District Council taking regarding Crowborough Camp?
We have been following a three-pronged action plan:
1.Information gathering and sharing – Objective: to address the information vacuum created by the Home Office by continuing to press the Home Office and other agencies to provide answers to questions from local residents, noting that it is the job of the Home Office to provide information to stakeholders.
2. Legal Challenge – Objective: to ensure that the Home Office meets all its legal obligations in relation to both the decision-making process and making the site safe, legal & compliant and to bring legal challenge where grounds arise for such action. The aim is to push the Home Office into making procedural commitments and to provide an opportunity for legal challenge. Any action taken by the council must be lawful and have due regard to cost and risk to the council. The council has issued a planning contravention notice on the Home Office and Ministry of Defence about potential breaches of planning control.
3.Contingency planning: – to ensure that the Home Office puts in place clear and effective measures to mitigate the impact on the local community and security concerns.
Why aren’t Wealden District Council standing up and opposing these Home Office plans?
We are.
The main things we have done are listed here: Crowborough Army Camp – Wealden District Council This is regularly updated.
Why the lack of consultation and transparency?
It does not appear to be Home Office policy to consult on this type of proposal or to be open about its plans and we can only speculate on why that might be. We think it is a mistake. By allowing the news to leak and then failing to provide information quickly and openly, the Home Office has created both a situation where their plan has caused division in our community. It is possible that this could have been avoided if local people had been involved and listened to in the first place.
How will the Council ensure clear and ongoing communication with the community?
Communication and engagement with the local community and all stakeholders is the responsibility of the Home Office and its contractor who will be running the site. We are still in discussion with them how they could best do this.
We have called on the Home Office to put in place various engagement measures including: a weekly, in-person, “surgery” in the town to allow local people the chance to speak directly to the Home Office about any issues they have with the camp; and weekly bulletin style updates direct from the Home Office to all residents of the town.
Does the site have to comply with Building Regulations?
The Crown has immunity and exemption from the procedural requirements of the Building Regulations in the UK, but MOD departmental policy mandates that all building works must comply with the minimum standards imposed by the Building Regulations. This includes the routine safety assessments, maintenance and improvement programmes applied to all SLA buildings constructed prior to the regulations.
The MOD’s Building Regulations Compliance System (BRCS) is designed to broadly replicate the civilian Building Control process and means the Building Regulations governance and oversight it delivers is achieved internally within the MOD without reference to external Building Regulations assessors.
Here is a list of contact details here for other organisations that you can contact should you have a query relating to their services:
Service | Responsible organisation | Contact details | Further information |
Decision to use CAC for asylum seeker accommodation | Home Office | ||
Day-to-day management and security of the asylum accommodation at Crowborough Army Camp | (Clearsprings) Ready Homes |
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Policing | Sussex Police | Advice or concerns: Contact your local policing team Report a crime: Report |
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On-site and community health services | NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board |
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Safeguarding | East Sussex County Council | Adult safeguarding concern: Report it here Child safeguarding concern: 0-19spoa@eastsussex.gov.uk | |
Schools | East Sussex County Council (Children’s Services) |
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Street lighting | East Sussex Highways (on behalf of East Sussex County Council) |
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Local bus services | Brighton & Hove Buses | 01273 886200 |
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Environmental Health | Wealden District Council |
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Crowborough Library | East Sussex County Council | 0345 60 80 196 |
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