Home Office apology over lack of consultation on asylum centre

The Ministry of Defence closed the RAF station at Linton-on-Ouse in 2020

Government officials have apologised for failing to consult residents about plans to convert an ex-RAF base into an asylum centre for up to 1,500 people.

The Home Office wants to use the former Linton-on-Ouse site, near York, to house asylum seekers while their applications are being processed.

The parish council and residents were not consulted before the announcement.

On Thursday the Home Office apologised for failing to discuss the plans and said it hopes to mend the relationship.

Phil Riley, director of detention services at the Home Office, issued the apology at a meeting attended by more than 100 residents.

"I accept that the way this has happened has fractured the relationship between the Home Office and residents," he said.

"I apologise for the way this has happened."

He said officials wanted to do their "best to mend that relationship before it breaks completely".

It is expected asylum seekers could begin to arrive at the site within weeks

The proposal for Linton-on-Ouse is part of the government's new migration policy, which also includes sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The men, aged between 18 and 40, will be housed at the base while their applications to stay in the UK are processed.

They are expected to come mainly from Iran, Iraq and Eritrea and could begin to arrive within six weeks.

The area's MP Kevin Hollinrake has urged the Home Office to reconsider the plans

Residents have expressed concern about the impact of that number of men being housed in a small community of about 1,000 people as well the impact on local services and their safety.

Margaret Rush, who has lived in the village for 11 years, said: "We are a lovely village, friendly, no problems whatsoever.

"We don't know that they are going to cause any problems, but it's intimidating."

She said there was nothing for the men to do in the village and hoped they would stay on the base.

The Home Office has previously said services provided on site would "minimise" the impact on the local community and officials told the meeting they would raise local concerns with ministers.

However, some villagers were not convinced there would be any change.

"I am 100% confident they will take this back to the ministers, [but I have] zero confidence anything will change," Steve Raper said.

"This is a done deal."

Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton Kevin Hollinrake was only told about the plans about two weeks before the announcement.

He has written to the Home Secretary asking for the decision to be reconsidered.

The MP said he did not believe the former RAF base "is the appropriate place to house up to 1,500 young male asylum seekers".