Labour has been accused of playing politics with the asylum crisis after it emerged the Government is pressing ahead with plans to house thousands more asylum seekers in former military barracks – with every proposed site located in constituencies not held by Labour.
The Home Office is seeking planning permission to convert Ministry of Defence sites in Bicester, Barnham and Linton-on-Ouse, creating space for around 3,750 asylum seekers.
The plans have sparked an immediate backlash from MPs and residents, who say local communities are being left in the dark while being asked to shoulder the burden.
Professor Olga Matthias, spokesman for the Linton-on-Ouse action group, said the proposals were fundamentally flawed.
“It’s always been the wrong place,” she said. “At the time of the campaign, we said it was the wrong plan in the wrong place. That hasn’t changed. It is a small village without the infrastructure to support hundreds of asylum seekers.”
Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy also voiced alarm over the plans for the Suffolk site.
Housing undocumented asylum seekers here would affect safety, services and cohesion,” he warned.
Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller, whose Bicester and Woodstock constituency includes one of the proposed sites, questioned why local representatives had received so little information from ministers.
My main concern at the moment is the lack of warning from the Home Office and the lack of evidence they have provided to me and the local community as to why this is justified,” he said.
We need to know about cost, whether this represents value for the taxpayer. We need to know what will be done to protect local residents, what security arrangements will be put in place. And what regime will be put in place to keep those within the site safe.”
Mr Miller said only after those questions were answered could the community properly assess the proposals, adding that his initial reaction was one of “shock and worry”.
The controversy comes as Labour faces mounting pressure over its handling of the asylum system, with ministers under fire over the continued use of large-scale accommodation sites and the growing cost of housing migrants.
Critics have seized on the fact that the latest proposals affect only constituencies represented by opposition parties, accusing ministers of avoiding Labour-held areas while expecting other communities to absorb the impact.
The Home Office has yet to confirm when a final decision on the proposed barracks will be made.
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