Campsfield House detention centre reopening opposed by Oxfordshire council

Campsfield was shut in 2018 after years of problems, including riots, escapes and complaints about conditions

A council leader will write to the home secretary urging her to stop the reopening of a detention centre.

Campsfield House in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, could reopen in late 2023 to house up to 400 male detainees.

The centre was shut in 2018 after years of problems.

Green councillor Ian Middleton tabled a motion at Oxfordshire County Council asking councillors to ask leader Liz Leffman to write to the Home Office and urge it to ditch its plan.

Kidlington South councillor Mr Middleton, who also sits on Cherwell District Council, saw a similar motion defeated at that authority in July.

He previously said its reopening would be "truly horrific" for the town.

• In pictures: Abandoned immigration centre

Council leader Liz Leffman will also be asked to write to current home secretary Suella Braverman asking for the "creation of safe havens and more legal routes to apply for asylum in the UK".

Mr Middleton's motion also asked for the "prioritisation of prompt and fair processing of asylum claims whilst introducing appropriate safeguards to allow asylum seekers to live and work in our communities in the meantime".

The immigration detention centre was used to house a range of people, mainly asylum seekers and foreign national offenders.

Twenty-seven councillors voted in favour of Mr Middleton's motion, while eight opposed it on Friday. There were no abstentions.

"I don't think it should be for the local council to impose itself on a national decision and dictate to the Home Office where such facilities should go," Conservative group leader Eddie Reeves said.

But Lib Dem Andrew Gant said it was "unbelievable" that "locally-elected representatives should not take a view on the reopening of a huge facility".

Layla Moran MP, whose Oxford West and Abingdon constituency includes Kidlington, said the Home Office's decision to potentially reopen the centre "reflects at best a failure of policy and at worst complete heartlessness".

Oxford City Council said the potential reopening of the centre would be "inhumane" in July.

The Home Office previously said it would talk to interested parties about the plans.

A spokesperson added the welfare of future detainees would be of the "utmost importance".