LABOUR'S ARMY BARRACKS MIGRANT PLAN BRANDED 'GIMMICK'

Fury over proposal to house asylum seekers at Highland military base

- By Douglas Dickie

A PLAN to house hundreds of male asylum seekers in an army barracks in Inverness was last night dismissed as a “gimmick”.

Meanwhile, local people warned that “community cohesion” would be put at risk as the UK Government looks to empty so-called 'migrant hotels' across the country.

Cameron Barracks has been identified by Labour ministers as one of two sites to house around 900 men, despite a senior politician admitting the cost of moving them could be higher than keeping them in hotels.

It will be used as a temporary home for around 300 migrants before they are moved to dispersed housing around the UK to await the outcome of their asylum applications.

But concerns have been raised by the SNP/independent-led council about the impact it will have on the Highland capital.

Cameron Barracks is situated just minutes away from Inverness city centre and right beside a school, Millburn Academy, as well as a youth hostel. The asylum seekers will be allowed to come and go as they please from their temporary accommodation, and are set to move in from early December, with the contract being for up to 12 months.

Strain