The Home Office is seeking planning permission to use three additional Ministry of Defence sites to house asylum seekers: Bicester in Oxfordshire, Barnham in Suffolk, and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. These sites could accommodate approximately 3,750 people. The government also aims to extend use of existing military sites in Crowborough, East Sussex until 2030 and Wethersfield, Essex beyond 2027. This is part of Labour’s pledge to end the use of asylum hotels, which cost £2.1 billion in 2024-2025. As of March 2025, 20,885 asylum seekers (21%) were in hotels, down from a peak of 56,000 in September 2023. The Home Office confirmed 20 more hotels closed, leaving 170 in use.