HIGHLAND Council have hit out at "limited" communication from the Home Office during discussions about Cameron Barracks, a site earmarked to house asylum seekers before plans were dropped this week.
The barracks in Inverness was identified in October 2025 as a site where the UK Government planned to house up to 300 adult men seeking asylum.
But this week, Angus MacDonald, the local LibDem MP, said that the UK Border Security Minister Alex Norris has confirmed the plans have been dropped.
Now, Highland Council have criticised the Home Office over its handling of the proposals.
A joint statement issued by Highland Council convenor Bill Lobban, leader Raymond Bremner, and opposition leader Alasdair Christie said: "Despite our repeated requests, plans were not provided, questions were not answered, and communication from the Home Office was limited.
"This has created prolonged uncertainty for local agencies and communities. While we still await official written confirmation, we welcome the fact that a decision looks like it has been reached, providing much-needed clarity for local communities.
"The Highlands has a strong record of welcoming and supporting asylum seekers and refugees, however, Cameron Barracks was not a suitable site for the scale of the proposal under consideration.”
The statement also said that in discussions, the council had made it clear that the Home Office would have to comply with relevant legislation in Scotland, but at no point was an HMO licence application received.
Since it was first proposed, and according to The Press and Journal, those from across the political spectrum have criticised the Home Office for "secrecy" and a "lack of transparency" around the plans.
It was only on October 28 of last year that, through media reports, the Scottish Government learned of the Cameron Barracks plans.
At the time, First Minister John Swinney questioned the proposals and said they seemed to have been "made up on the back of an envelope”.
In April this year, when the UK Government announced their intention to close all asylum hotels in favour of barrack-style sites, it attracted strong condemnation from charities.
They feared that the military site in Inverness would look similar to the controversial Crowborough Barracks in East Sussex, somewhere about which organisations had voiced human rights concerns.
Scottish Refugee Council and Care4Calais told The National that disused army barracks, like that in Inverness, would isolate and "retraumatise" people, trap them in poverty and create fear and division.
