The citizens of the Rustic English town of Linton on Ouse in York, with a population of just 1,200 people, are bracing themselves for the arrival of 1,500 male asylum seekers whom the British government intends on holding in the nearby RAF base.
The Home Office announced in April that the base would be used to house 1,500 male asylum seekers most of whom arrived in the UK via boats across the Channel after arriving in France from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
Local residents have launched impassioned objections, holding rallies and demonstrations with Thirsk MP Kevin Hollinrake and Hambleton District Council questioning the suitability of such a rural location for an asylum centre the Northern Echo reported.
The UK Home Office is yet to respond to a legal challenge against the settling of the migrants in the town launched by the district council in the area.
Councillor Mark Robson who is leading the legal challenge to the asylum processing centre in Linton on Ouse has said:
“The Home Office has provided a response to the Planning Contravention Notice which our legal team has responded to.
“We have provided further information and comments to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) in response to further information provided by the Home Office in respect to questions DLUHC asked relating to the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment.
“We continue to seek legal advice and await further information from the Home Office with regard their intentions for the site going forward.
“At present we continue to understand that no final decision has been taken by Ministers to accommodate asylum seekers at RAF Linton and that we will receive at least seven days’ notice from the Home Office should they intend to begin moving people onto the site.
“A definitive decision on the council’s next steps has not yet been made as we are expecting to receive a substantive response to the Pre-Action Protocol letter imminently.
“Once this response is received, it will be carefully considered and assessed alongside the legal advice the council receives.”
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