The former home secretary Priti Patel has accused the government of being “secretive” and “evasive” about plans to house asylum seekers on a disused RAF base which has become the target of protests and legal challenges.
She demanded answers from Suella Braverman, the current home secretary, in a letter, saying there was an “alarming and staggering” lack of clarity about how long the site would be used for and how many people would be accommodated there.
The site at RAF Wethersfield in Essex is one of a number of military bases that have been earmarked, along with the Bibby Stockholm barge, to house asylum seekers in an attempt to reduce costs of hotel accommodation.
However, the plans have been opposed by local residents and human rights and refugee campaigners who have told the Home Office it is cruel to hold asylum seekers in conditions of “quasi-detention” in remote areas far from communities and support networks. Braintree district council has brought legal action to challenge the use of the airfield to house up to 1,700 men.
Patel tweeted a copy of her letter – addressed to Braverman and the immigration minister Robert Jenrick – in which she complained of getting “no definitive answers” to questions posed in correspondence and in parliament about the timeframe for the site.
She said it had been drawn to her attention over the weekend that the government was planning to use the site for years.
The Telegraph reported on internal Home Office documents outlining that the government was planning to use disused RAF bases including Wethersfield to house migrants for between three and five years, or longer.
“The lack of a direct response to my questions relating to the length of time the Home Office plans to use the site for asylum accommodation gives the impression that the Home Office is being evasive,” said Patel, whose Witham constituency is close to Wethersfield.
She added that local partners had asked the same questions but communications from the government had been “ineffective” and the latest version of a Home Office factsheet on Wethersfield referred to the issue only as “temporary” and that it would be kept under review.
“This suggests that the government is being secretive about its intentions, but the local community and partners need to know what the government’s plans are,” said Patel. While a temporary “Class Q” designation for the site was for a 12-month period, she said that reports at the weekend indicated it would be used for much longer.
Wethersfield and another base at Scampton in Lincolnshire were reportedly earmarked to take 3,700 people directly from Dover after they had crossed the Channel.
Patel called for the government’s timescales for the use of Wethersfield, its financial modelling for the use of the site including a value for money assessment and details of its approach to planning for the site’s longer term use to be revealed “as a matter of urgency”.
“Clear answers now need to be provided by the Home Office and the government must be transparent rather than evasive. The lack of clarity has been alarming and staggering and I trust you will resolve this urgently,” she said.
A Home Office spokesperson: “In the case of Wethersfield, the Home Office has obtained planning permission to use the site for 12 months. We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place.
“Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites will provide cheaper and more orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats whilst helping to reduce the use of hotels.
“These accommodation sites will house asylum seekers in basic, safe and secure accommodation as they await a decision on their claim.”
