Exclusive:Linton-on-Ouse: Andy Burnham to take mayor's 'significant concerns' over asylum camp to Home Office

The Government has faced fury after applying for planning permission to house 1,300 asylum seekers at former RAF Linton-on-Ouse, in a small North Yorkshire village.

Andy Burnham has pledged to raise mayor David Skaith’s “significant concerns” with the Home Office over controversial plans to open an asylum centre in a small North Yorkshire village.

The Government has applied for planning permission to house asylum seekers at former RAF Linton-on-Ouse near York, and two other Ministry of Defence sites.

It says this will help close asylum hotels, however locals have reacted in uproar at the prospect of 1,300 men being housed in a small village of 650 people.

A cross-party group of Yorkshire MPs - including Labour’s Rachael Maskell, Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon and former prime minister Rishi Sunak - have written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging her to reconsider the plans.

While York and North Yorkshire’s Labour mayor Mr Skaith has said that Linton-on-Ouse is “simply the wrong place” and said it should be used for a “housing-led redevelopment” instead.

On a visit to Bradford this week, The Yorkshire Post raised Mr Skaith’s comments with Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

He said: “When it comes to accommodation, it has got to be managed in a fair way.

“The call has been heard from some of our more deprived communities about the proliferation of HMOs [houses of multiple occupancy] and the concentration of those which can pose real challenges.

“So it is right to look at more remote accommodation, military barracks, and other areas where we can come up with a mix of solutions to manage the issue fairly and securely.”

However, he pledged to raise Mr Skaith concerns with the Home Office before any decision is made.

“It is a matter for the Home Office - obviously I will make sure that David’s concerns are relayed to them,” Mr Burnham added.

“I can only say I will always look at the concerns expressed by any mayor. I’ve done that job and I know David well.

“I know he wouldn’t speak out if he didn’t have some significant concerns. We will make sure we speak to him and we look into those concerns.”

Following the Prime Minister’s intervention, Mr Skaith said: “We all know that fixing the asylum system has to be the top priority.

“This Government has made good progress in reducing small boat crossings and improving the application system. I know just how strongly people feel, and my first and most important job is to speak up for our region.

“I don’t think Linton-on-Ouse is the right place to house asylum seekers, and I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment that they will listen and take on board the concerns that I, and many residents, have.”

It comes as campaigners claimed that the cost of housing migrants at RAF Linton-on-Ouse could reach more than £400 a night.

While the Home Office has not released any estimates for the North Yorkshire base, which closed in 2020, the Linton-on-Ouse Action Group believes it would be comparable to potential costs for RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

The set-up expenses would be similar with no electricity, gas or running water currently connected to the base, some of the issues which saw a plan rejected in 2022 on technical grounds.

The campaigners say using National Audit Office figures for RAF Scampton as a benchmark, the total cost could come to more than £400m - which would equate to more than £400 a night per person.

The Action Group’s Prof Olga Matthias said: “The projected costs simply do not match the standard of care required for asylum seekers, nor do they represent an effective use of taxpayer funds with the cost per night being much higher than any other alternative.

“Most people could only dream of having a budget per night of £527 to pay bills especially in this cost-of-living crisis."

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not recognise these figures.

“We are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into basic accommodation including ex-military sites. Overall asylum costs have already fallen by £1 billion since the general election.

“Discussions around the use of this site remain in early stages and are subject to planning permission, feasibility assessments, and due diligence.”