Guernsey Press

Tory MP urges Boris Johnson to stop plans for asylum processing centre

Kevin Hollinrake said the plans ‘will devastate the community’.

Published

A Conservative MP has urged the Prime Minister to stop plans for an asylum processing centre in his constituency.

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake said the asylum reception centre at Linton-on-Ouse will “devastate the community” with residents not feeling “safe to leave their homes alone”.

Boris Johnson told the backbencher he heard his concerns “loud and clear” and there will be “further meetings” between him and the Home Office about what can be done.

Ministers announced plans for the new accommodation and processing centre last month and the Home Office says it will provide “safe and cost-effective” accommodation for single adult males who are claiming asylum in the UK and meet the relevant suitability criteria.

This week, Hambleton District Council, which previously announced it was seeking a judicial review of the plans, said the Home Office intends to move 60 asylum seekers into the disused North Yorkshire RAF base by the end of the month.

“That village without streetlights, without police presence. It will devastate the community. It will devastate house prices which will plummet and the residents of that village will not feel safe to leave their homes alone. Will my right honourable friend, please, on behalf of the community please stop these plans?”

Mr Johnson replied: “I know that my right honourable friend the Home Secretary is engaging with him and with others locally about the use of the site and I hear loud and clear what he’s had to say indeed, I’m the recipient of many of these intercessions on this matter.

“And I understand the strength of feeling in his constituency. And I’m sure that there’ll be further meetings between him and the Home Office about what we can do.”

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.