The Government must come to Crowborough and face residents, according to the town’s county councillors.
Recently elected to East Sussex County Council, Cllr Sarah Jury and Cllr Catherine Fielding, said they “refuse to stay quiet and let this town be divided for another four years by a crisis the government created”.
Cllr Jury said the town, promised the truth about the use of the Army Camp to house asylum seekers, deserved answers.
And she has also called for the camp to be run as a secure, closed facility and said the Government “must set out a credible plan for ending the use of this site entirely – not a rolling extension dressed up as temporary.”
In extending the use of the camp to 2030, Cllr Jury added: “The Government has once again made a decision with an immediate and lasting impact on Crowborough – without discussion, without warning, and without a moment’s thought for the community it affects.
She said: “Crowborough was always a friendly town, where people lived quiet, ordinary lives in harmony with their neighbours. The presence of the camp, and in particular the lack of openness and transparency by the Home Office, has allowed misinformation and division to proliferate.”
“The burden of dealing with frightened and angry residents has fallen particularly hard on Crowborough Town Council, which is responsible for none of this and has no power to change it. The Town Hall has been overwhelmed.
“I have offered the Town Council my full support, as has the Leader of East Sussex County Council, Andy Woolley. I want every resident to hear this clearly: your town council, your district council, and your county council did not make this decision. We are not the target of your anger, and we do not deserve to be. The Government made this choice and must answer for it.”