In a joint statement from convenor Bill Lobban, leader Raymond Bremner, and opposition leader Alasdair Christie today, the local authority said it understands the property will be used as transitional accommodation from early December 2025 for up to 12 months.

Cameron Barracks is not owned by Highland Council nor any of its local public sector partners. The Home Office is the lead agency for resettlement, and decisions regarding the use of Cameron Barracks are made by the MOD and Home Office.

The UK Government has indicated that the council has no direct role in supporting the asylum seekers after their arrival.

Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner wrote to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Shabana Mahmood, last week to request confirmation and additional information. To date, the council has yet to receive a response.

The council said: “We await more details on how Inverness was selected over other available locations and how community cohesion will be maintained given the large number of asylum seekers planned relative to the local population. We have repeatedly sought written confirmation from the Home Office as to their plans.

“The UK Government have informed us that their accommodation will be self-contained, with all necessary services provided on site. The asylum seekers are ‘non-detained’, meaning they will be free to leave their site should they wish.

“Their intention is to use the barracks for short-term accommodation before people are moved to dispersed housing around the UK to await the outcome of their asylum applications. The Home Office has informed us that asylum applications will not be processed in Inverness, which will create more disruption.

“Our main concern is the impact this proposal will have on community cohesion given the scale of the proposals as they currently stand. Inverness is a relatively small community but the potential impact locally and across the wider Highlands appears not to have been taken into consideration by the UK Government.”

A Special Meeting of The Highland Council will be held on Thursday, 6 November, for members to discuss the plans.

UK asylum claims process criticised

The news comes after Scotland’s housing secretary Màiri McAllan insisted that asylum seekers are not responsible for the country’s housing crisis, calling instead for urgent reform of the UK’s asylum system.

Speaking at the annual homelessness conference in Perth yesterday, Ms McAllan said: “Those who are seeking asylum and protection in this country have not caused the housing emergency. We should be proud of offering sanctuary to those who’ve been given leave to remain.”

She criticised the UK Labour government for processing asylum claims “far too quickly without proper protections or funding,” and vowed not to roll back on homelessness rights in Scotland.

Her comments follow a Home Affairs Committee report, which found that Glasgow is housing four times as many asylum seekers as the UK government’s plan allows, despite already facing a housing emergency. The city currently accommodates around 92% of Scotland’s asylum seekers, with more than 1,800 properties in use by private contractors.

The Westminster report accused the Home Office of “catastrophic mismanagement” of the asylum estate, revealing that over 75% of asylum housing costs are now spent on hotels, a system described as both “wasteful and damaging.”

Scottish ministers urged the UK Government to improve coordination with local authorities and distribute asylum seekers more evenly across the UK to ease pressure on Glasgow and overstretched public services.