Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026
Letter from Clearsprings Group relating to the use of Crowborough Training Camp for asylum accommodation 17.04.2026
From: Home Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Asylum Accommodation: Follow Up
Summary
Clearsprings Management Limited responds to Home Affairs Committee questions about its role operating Crowborough Training Camp as asylum accommodation. Clearsprings was engaged in September 2025 post-site visit, subcontracts catering, cleaning, transport and facilities management, maintains fortnightly multi-agency liaison with local authorities and health services, and has implemented safeguarding frameworks informed by lessons from its Wethersfield operation.
Key findings
- Clearsprings involvement began September 2025 following a Home Office site visit; the company was not involved in initial scoping or feasibility assessment
- Subcontracted services include catering, cleaning, transport and 'hard FM' (facilities management)
- Fortnightly multi-agency meetings established with Local Authority, Health Services and emergency services; tri-weekly touchpoints with Home Office, health, Migrant Help, and police
- Initial kitchen capacity limited to 150 people; a Portable Kitchen was installed to address this constraint
- Staffing model is scaled to resident numbers: approximately 34 staff on site for 200 residents across security, catering, cleaning, management, welfare and transport roles
- Multi-layered safeguarding framework includes structured induction, regular welfare checks, and Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings; Wethersfield operational lessons applied to design and deployment
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Clearsprings (Management) Limited, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Dame Karen Bradley MP, Steve Lakey, Migrant Help, Local Authority, Health Services
Notable line
“Clearsprings has drawn directly on the experience and 'lessons learnt' from mobilising Wethersfield.”
Key Quotes
“In September 2025 Clearsprings were asked to complete a site visit alongside Home Office colleagues to the Crowborough site. The visit took place on 19 th September 2025, we were not involved in any scoping or feasibility discussions prior to this.”
“Fortnightly multi-agency meetings take place with representatives from the Local Authority, Health Services and the emergency services, as well as daily/weekly 'ad-hoc' meetings, communication and discussion with day to day practitioners from those services as they appertain to individual cases.”
“Initially the kitchen facilities were only able to cater for up to 150 people at a time and we therefore required a Portable Kitchen (PKL) to be installed.”
“Staffing levels are agreed dependent on the number of Service Users accommodated, with a structured staffing model in place to ensure appropriate oversight, welfare support, security, and service delivery.”
“Clearsprings has drawn directly on the experience and 'lessons learnt' from mobilising Wethersfield. These lessons have shaped the approach at Crowborough across mobilisation planning and operational readiness.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗