Controversial barracks to continue holding asylum seekers

A former military base in Kent will continue to house asylum seekers despite previous concerns about poor living conditions.

The Home Office was due to stop using Napier Barracks in Folkestone to accommodate migrants applying for asylum from September, but has since decided to extend its use until the end of the year.

The former military site in Folkestone has been used to accommodate asylum seekers since 2020, despite being described by a judge as "squalid" in 2021.

The decision to extend its use comes in the wake of a High Court judgement that barred the use of a hotel in Epping to house asylum seekers - and paved the way for similar legal action over other hotels.

Napier Barracks started out as contingency accomodation for migrants seeking asylum at the start of the Covid pandemic.

But in 2021, following a fire and outbreak of the virus at the site, a High Court judgement found the accomodation it provided was inadequate.

Mr Justice Linden found that the barracks were overcrowded, run down with "filthy" facilities and contained "detention-like" settings for men.

The Home Office said the following year that it had made "significant" improvements to the site - but still faced calls from MPs for it to be closed.

Under Labour, it said in March this year that Napier Barracks would cease operating as housing for asylum seekers in September. That deadline has now been extended until December.

A Home Office spokesperson said it was continuing "to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitments to reduce the cost of asylum accommodation, and end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament".

The announcement comes hours after the home secretary announced an overhaul of the asylum system aimed at cutting the number of people being housed in temporary accomodation while awaiting an asylum ruling.

Yvette Cooper said a new body of independent adjudicators would fast-track decisions on appeals, which currently take just over a year on average to be heard.

During this time, asylum seekers whose applications have been unsuccessful are accommodated at the taxpayer's expense. There are currently 32,000 asylum seekers being housed in hotels.

The government's pledge to end its reliance on hotels to house migrants follows protests across the UK over their use.