The Home Office has unveiled plans to relocate nearly 4,000 migrants to three former military bases, including MOD Linton-on-Ouse, where Prince William trained as a pilot. The sites—MOD Bicester, MOD Barnham, and MOD Linton-on-Ouse—are part of a government push to close asylum hotels and reduce costs.
Prince William's training base at centre of controversy
Linton-on-Ouse, a former Royal Air Force base in North Yorkshire, was previously earmarked for migrant housing in 2022 under former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel. Campaigners then argued the village was unsuitable for up to 1,500 asylum seekers, citing safety concerns and lack of infrastructure. The plan was blocked by former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace. Now, Labour's renewed proposal has sparked fury among local communities already strained by the small boat crisis.
Prince William learned to fly Tucano aircraft at Linton-on-Ouse during his military training. The base's historical significance adds to the emotional weight of the decision.
Hotel closures and cost savings
Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris confirmed that 20 more asylum hotels have been closed, including the notorious Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. This reduces the number of active migrant hotels to fewer than 170, down from a peak of over 340. Norris stated: “We promised to close every asylum hotel and hand them back to communities, and that is exactly what we are doing. Twenty more hotels have closed, and hotel numbers have more than halved since their peak. Instead, we’re moving asylum seekers into ex-military sites that are a far cry from the hotels the last Government left us with. This is a system being brought back under control – and we will not stop until the job is done.”
The Home Office also plans to extend use of Crowborough Training Camp until 2030, despite originally describing it as temporary. Keeping 350 people at Crowborough costs taxpayers £160 per night per person—£16 more than the average hotel room, according to official figures.
Dispersal accommodation expansion
While Labour publicly favours ex-military sites, Home Office accommodation providers emphasise that houses, flats, and bedsits remain the core of migrant housing plans. Chris Lakey, CEO of Clearspring Ready Homes, revealed plans to increase dispersal accommodation by up to 10,000 additional bedspaces across London, southern counties, and Wales. He told MPs: “Our main thrust has always been to come away from hotels and to try to get back to our core business, which, as you quite rightly identified, is dispersal accommodation. We have had negotiations and conversations with the Home Office and with the local authorities and communities about how we can significantly increase dispersal. We have plans in place to increase dispersal by up to 10,000 additional bedspaces, and we are about 50% of the way through the proposals to do that.”
Currently, almost 70,000 asylum seekers live in dispersal accommodation, including large Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Home Office Service User Demand Plans allocate 114,791 spaces across the UK. Of these, 68,151 are already occupied, with 66,021 asylum seekers awaiting placement. The North East and North West have exceeded their targets, while the West Midlands is expected to house 10,944 people—9,086 already there, with 4,930 more waiting.
Local backlash and legal challenges
Villagers near Linton-on-Ouse have vowed to mount legal challenges, arguing the base lacks infrastructure and that they would not feel safe. The move is likely to intensify political pressure on Labour, as communities continue to bear the brunt of the Channel migrant crisis. The Express previously revealed that numbers in dispersal accommodation could hit 100,000 under controversial contracts with Serco, Mears, and Clearspring Ready Homes.
