Exclusive:North Yorkshire village asylum camp will put 'considerable pressure' on police, Labour mayor warns

The Home Office has pledged to close asylum hotels and is looking to move migrants into former Ministry of Defence sites across the country, including RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

Plans for an asylum centre in a small North Yorkshire village would put “considerable pressure” on the police force amid wider public safety fears, the region’s Labour mayor has said.

David Skaith, mayor for York and North Yorkshire, opposes the Government’s plans to open a migrant camp in the former RAF base in Linton-on-Ouse.

This is part of the Home Office’s pledge to close asylum hotels, and it is looking to move asylum seekers into former Ministry of Defence sites across the country.

The Government has applied for planning permission to house around 1,300 migrants which is roughly double the size of Linton-on-Ouse, even though a similar proposal in 2022 failed on technical grounds.

Residents have been protesting, saying the village does not have the amenities or the infrastructure to cope with an influx of that size.

Children are already being pulled out of the local primary school, while there are fears houses are being pushed into negative equity.

Mr Skaith has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood highlighting public safety concerns with the plan, and calling on the Home Office to fund additional policing resources should it go ahead.

In the letter seen by The Yorkshire Post, he said: “We have particular concerns regarding policing demand, which is currently negligible in this part of the county due to the village’s rural setting.

“Public safety resources would inevitably need to be deployed if these proposals progress.

“Can the Home Office guarantee that any additional policing costs would be centrally funded?

“Strategic policing requirements at this site would inevitably put considerable pressure on the resources of North Yorkshire Police elsewhere in the county.

“Taxpayers in North Yorkshire already contribute almost half of the police budget each year and resources are always stretched due to North Yorkshire’s extensive geography.

“We remain extremely concerned about the security of this site and what measures would be put in place to ensure those accommodated at the site, as well as residents, are kept safe.

“We would welcome clarity on what measures the Home Office are considering to ensure anyone with a criminal record is not housed at the site?”

The intervention has come after North Yorkshire Police raised funding and resource concerns with the deputy mayor for policing, Jo Coles.

In a letter, Deputy Chief Constable Catherine Clarke said “a key challenge remains funding and cost recovery,” before adding that “significant uncertainty remains regarding the extent to which additional policing costs will be recoverable should the site generate sustained demand”.

The force has already raised concerns about its capacity to police protests at the site with Wetherby and Easingwold MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke.

Earlier this week, far-right protesters clad head to toe in black surrounded a police investigation centre in Basingstoke after the group’s leader Danny Thomas was arrested.

A Home Office spokesperson said that it would continue to engage with police forces about the migrant centre plans.

They said: “The Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1bn on asylum support since the election.

“We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.

“As part of the process, we engage with local authorities and police forces to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area.”