An army barracks set to house over 500 migrants has requested millions of taxpayers’ cash to fund additional policing, it has been revealed.
Sussex Police are requesting £5.62million in additional funding from the Home Office to cover the costs of policing the controversial asylum seeker camp at Crowborough.
Katy Bourne, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex, has submitted the funding application and is currently awaiting a response.
The money would pay for extra officers, vehicles, technology and equipment needed for the operation, which includes community engagement, maintaining public order and conducting investigations.
Mrs Bourne said the figure is based on the Home Office’s claims that the former army cadet training site will only operate for 12 months.
The Government has insisted asylum seekers will be held at the site for a maximum of three months while they wait for the outcome of their application. They will then be removed from the country if they are rejected.
The expected costs cover both the remainder of this financial year and 2026/27.
A Sussex Police spokesman told the Daily Mail: “We recognise the impact of this additional policing demand and are committed to keeping the public safe across the whole of Sussex. We are working with the Home Office to seek additional funding.”
Crowborough army barracks that will house over 500 migrants will require millions of taxpayers’ cash to fund additional policing, it has been revealed
|
PA
Inside the Crowborough Camp | HOME OFFICEThe decision has sparked fury among residents, with thousands taking to the streets for weeks to voice their opposition.
The first of the migrants arrived at the barracks at around 3.30am on Thursday morning, just hours after the Home Office confirmed to the local council that plans had been approved to house asylum seekers at the site.
Local resident Simon Brown told GB News: “We don’t really believe anything that the Home Office tells us anymore.
“We were told before Christmas that there was going to be 72 hours notice in the end. It was seven hours.
Residents have held regular protests against the move in Crowborough | PA“So you could make your own assumptions about the information that’s coming from the Home Office.”
A crowdfunding campaign has now raised more than £93,000 to pursue legal action, with organisers seeking a Judicial Review of the Home Office’s decision to use the site.
The Home Secretary defended the move, saying: “Illegal migration has been placing immense pressure on communities.
“That is why we are removing the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain, closing asylum hotels that are blighting communities.”
Ms Mahmood added: “Crowborough is just the start. I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities. I will not rest until order and control to our borders is restored.”
Shabana Mahmood has vowed to end migrant hotels
|
PAThe camp will is also said to feature an on-site GP for migrants, a move that’s faced criticism given the ongoing appointment crisis affecting millions across the country.
Research from the Liberal Democrats shows 7.6 million patients waited more than four weeks to see a GP between September and November 2025, an increase of over 300,000 compared to the previous year.
In Sussex alone, 80,274 people faced waits exceeding four weeks in November 2025, up nearly 30 per cent since Labour took office.
Crowborough is the first of two barracks being converted, with Cameron Barracks in Inverness expected to house up to 300 asylum seekers, though those plans have stalled due to maintenance and planning issues.
