𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A Labour minister dodged questions on whether housing migrants in barracks could end up costing taxpayers more than in hotel rooms. The Home Office confirmed on Monday that two barracks in Scotland and southern England would be used to house about 900 asylum seekers.

The plans will see men housed at Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex. And ministers could ramp up proposals to use more barracks if the first two sites work. The Home Office hopes to eventually house up to 10,000 migrants on military sites.

Prefabricated, modular units similar to Portakabins could be built on Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Asked about whether it would cost more to house migrants on military bases than in hotels, defence minister Luke Pollard insisted that “the public want to see those hotels close”.

But he added: “We’re looking at what’s possible and, in some cases, those bases may be a different cost to hotels, but I think we need to reflect the public mood on this asylum hotels need to close.”

Hotels cost a staggering £144.98 per person per night. Accommodation at the former military base in Wethersfield, Essex, costs £132 per person per night.

Signalling that further bases were also being considered as accommodation sites, Mr Pollard told BBC Breakfast: “Some bases are small, some bases are larger in terms of numbers, but I think the conversation around the bases that are in the news today is about proving this concept, is about seeing whether this works.

“We believe that these bases can provide adequate accommodation for asylum seekers.”

Mr Pollard said this was not “luxury accommodation” but “it’s adequate for what is required”.

He added: “That will enable us to take the pressure off the asylum hotel estates and enable those to be closed at a faster rate.”

The Labour minister added that the MoD was working with the Home Office “on standing up a number of bases at the moment”.

Mr Pollard continued: “We’ve got to make sure that the facilities are right there, that we’ve got the adequate security arrangements in place, and that we’ve got engagement with the local authorities, the councils in those areas, to make sure that there is adequate provision for what is expected in those locations.”

It comes after the Sunday Express revealed more than 90% of councils will be housing asylum seekers by the end of this year.

Almost 40,000 people are set to be given taxpayer-funded homes in London, the East of England, South East England, and South West England as ministers ramp up efforts to close migrant hotels.

In total, the Home Office needs to find dispersal accommodation for more than 66,000 asylum seekers. And current plans only allow for enough space for another 46,640, creating a shortfall of almost 20,000.

But the number of cash-strapped local authorities housing asylum seekers has increased from 82% in the Summer and is projected to hit 92% “by the year’s end”.

Service User Demand Plans drawn up by the Home Office set out how many migrants can be housed in each region.

Some 13,486 people are supposed to living in dispersal accommodation – houses, flats and bedsits – in North West England.

But Home Office records show 17,218 are living in taxpayer-funded homes in towns and cities across the region and officials still need to find homes for 1,809 people.

By contrast, asylum accommodation providers are hunting for space for 12,032 migrants in South East England. But 3,118 are already living there and the plan only allows for 14,092.

Another 12,206 need to be accommodated in London, the document sent to the Home Affairs Select Committee revealed.

Five of the 12 regions are yet to hit 50% of their targets on moving people into dispersal accommodation.

Yet the Home Office is so overwhelmed nationally that it is facing a shortfall of almost 20,000 beds for asylum seekers.

The Service User Demand Plans allocated 114,791 spaces for asylum seekers across the country.

Some 68,151 have already been housed, with another 66,021 waiting for accommodation. The North East of England and the North West have both surged past their targets but need to find additional homes for 2,000 people between them.

The West Midlands will almost certainly soar over its planned amount, with 10,944 supposed to be housed in the region. But 9,086 are already living there and 4,930 more are waiting in the wings.