Police resources warning over asylum centre plan

Police have warned significant resources will need to be deployed if plans to house asylum seekers at a former RAF base go ahead.

The Home Office is considering using RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire to accommodate asylum seekers, although no final decision has been made.

North Yorkshire Police's temporary deputy chief constable (DCC) said handling anticipated protests at the site would pull resources away from elsewhere in the county, while a local campaign group warned the "small, rural community" would experience "city-sized problems" if the plan went ahead.

The Home Office said moving asylum seekers out of hotels to the likes of ex-military sites represented a "fairer distribution".

The region's mayor, David Skaith, and deputy mayor, Jo Coles, have asked for a meeting with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood over the issue.

In a letter to Coles, temporary DCC Catherine Clarke said police were preparing for "regular, sustained and significant protest activity" at the RAF base if the plans were approved.

"Should this occur in North Yorkshire, it would be inevitable that resources would be drawn from across the force and would represent a challenge," the senior officer said.

The DCC said there was a "realistic prospect" the force would need extra financial support.

The Linton-on-Ouse Action Group called for an "urgent, jointly resourced action plan" to be put together by public bodies and other stakeholders "before any proposal is submitted for planning".

Highlighting drugs, organised criminality and community tension among several "key concerns", the group added: "This is not about race or religion; this is about a small, rural community being given city-sized problems overnight but not the resources to match.

"The group's intention in issuing this statement is not to stigmatise people seeking asylum but to ensure the necessary resources, planning and protections are assessed correctly, budgeted for and prepared should this proposal go to the planning stage."

The mayor and deputy mayor have also raised concerns about security, the proximity of the village primary school and secondary school bus stop, and the limited services and public transport available locally.

A Home Office spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1bn saved in costs since the election.

"This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites.

"These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to reduce the impact on local communities."

With additional reporting from David Spereall

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