The UK Home Office has delayed plans to house 300 male asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks in Inverness until the site is "fully operational and safe". Scotland's First Minister John Swinney welcomed the decision on Saturday, accusing the Home Office of poor planning and saying the proposals were "made up on the back of an envelope".
The delay postpones the placement originally scheduled for early December. The 140-year-old military site near Inverness city centre requires a £1.3 million refurbishment. Highland Council and local residents had raised concerns about the scale of the plans and potential strain on local services.
Swinney's criticism
Swinney told the Press Association on Saturday: «I think the announcement from the Home Office of a delay to their plans indicates that these plans were put together on the back of an envelope.» He described the delay as welcome, saying: «It's an acknowledgement that the plans were not well formulated.»
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland's Breakfast programme, Swinney criticized the execution further: «The Home Office said that they didn't want to preside over a chaotic and unsafe approach – that's exactly what they are presiding over.» He added: «They hadn't in any way, shape or form engaged properly as they should have, with Highland Council or with the Scottish government.»
The First Minister told the Press Association: «I can't answer detailed questions about what would be the arrangements around the Cameron Barracks, and that's because the answers are not forthcoming from the Home Office.»
Political reactions
Edward Mountain, Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP, called the delay «nothing more than a ploy by the UK Government in the hope people come round to their flawed idea of housing asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks».
Angus MacDonald, Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, said: «Irrespective of how long this delay lasts, Cameron Barracks is not an appropriate location to house such a large number of asylum seekers. It is the wrong solution in the wrong place.»
Racism and protests
Swinney also addressed protests against asylum seeker hotels occurring regularly in Scotland. Asked if the protests were racist, he told the Press Association: «Yes, they are, because they are expressing hostility towards individuals, and it is important that we confront that sentiment.»
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, he said: «Yes they are, you can see it on the banners that they are holding. It's important that we call out racism where we see it in society, that we're crystal clear on it, and some of the people who are protesting outside asylum hotels and facilities are expressing racist views.»
Swinney made the comments ahead of an anti-racism march organized by the Scottish Trade Unions Congress in Glasgow.
Home Office position
A Home Office spokesperson said on Friday: «We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination.»
The spokesperson added: «We are continuing to accelerate plans to move people into Crowborough and Cameron Barracks, when the sites are fully operational and safe. We will not replicate the mistakes of the past where rushed plans have led to unsafe and chaotic situations that impacts the local community.»
The Home Office is also planning to use Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex for asylum seekers. Cameron Barracks had previously been used to house families fleeing Afghanistan.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
