PLANS to house people seeking asylum at a former military base are set to be opposed by a Reform-led council on the East Coast.
A motion formally supporting North Yorkshire Council’s objection “to the Linton-on-Ouse proposal” to house people seeking asylum will be debated by Scarborough Town Council today, Tuesday, August 25.
The RAF’s former Linton-on-Ouse base is being considered by the Government as a site to accommodate up to 1,200 people seeking asylum.
The proposal has been met with objections from local residents, and the elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, Labour’s David Skaith, has said that “RAF Linton-on-Ouse is simply the wrong place for plans to accommodate large numbers of asylum seekers”.
Reform members of Scarborough Town Council have put forward a motion requesting “urgent assurance from North Yorkshire Council and the Home Office that Scarborough will not be utilised as a placement area for individuals processed at Linton-on-Ouse, pending a comprehensive, open consultation with Scarborough Town Council”.
The motion calls for “a full impact assessment” about possible impacts on housing in Scarborough.
It also proposes that the town council “continue monitoring the situation and advocate for Scarborough residents in all future discussions relating to housing, migration, and community impact”.
According to the Home Office, potential use of the site is “subject to detailed feasibility assessments, which could take several months to complete”.
Independent councillor Rich Maw, a member of the town council and North Yorkshire Council, said: “I have no problem with discussing important issues. But too often this administration brings forward motions that are poorly constructed, contain vague commitments or stray well beyond what a parish council can realistically deliver.
“Residents need more than political statements and intentions. They need properly thought-through proposals, within the Council’s powers, with clear actions, responsibilities and outcomes. Scarborough needs a town council that delivers and not one that simply passes motions.”
An asylum seeker is a person who is seeking protection as a refugee, but who hasn’t yet been legally recognised as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision.
‘Refugee’ is a legally recognised term that describes a person who cannot return to their country of origin because they are at risk of persecution there, and they have a right to international protection.