Residents of Crowborough in East Sussex are upset with local officials for planning to spend £450,000 on a celebration for Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th birthday, at a time when more than 500 male asylum seekers are expected to be housed at a nearby army training camp. Locals say their safety should come first, especially after the town’s CCTV cameras were switched off last year.

People in the town told the Daily Mail they are confused and frustrated that such a large sum is being set aside for a Pooh celebration when they feel unsafe. Around 4,000 residents marched on Sunday to protest against the Home Office plan to host asylum seekers at the camp.

One shocked resident told the outlet, "The council says it can't do anything to stop the Home Office from housing the asylum seekers, but they can at least put in cameras to keep us safe. Instead, they're giving half a million to Winnie-the-Pooh."

He added that Crowborough has "no police station" and "no cameras", worries that grew stronger when he learned the CCTV system is not functioning.

The Home Office plans to use the Army Training Camp to house 540 single, adult male asylum seekers, and many residents say they are now spending their own money to improve security around their homes.

Despite the backlash, the Wealden District Council says the £450,000 celebration is part of an “educational and cultural programme” meant to support tourism and protect the local landscape that inspired the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

The nearby Ashdown Forest, which surrounds Crowborough, is the place that inspired the Hundred Acre Wood from A.A. Milne’s books.

Ann Newton, Conservative Group Leader on the council, said she does not oppose celebrating Pooh’s birthday, but believes the amount is unusually high. "We don't have an ideal world or an ideal situation, and it just seems to be an awful lot of money," she told the Daily Mail.

However, Liberal Democrat Councillor James Partridge backed the plan. "This isn't really about Winnie-the-Pooh, but this is about Ashdown Forest, which is in our trust and we really need to look after it," he said.