RESIDENTS in a village near York have hit out at the Home Office over a lack of consultation on plans to site asylum seeker accommodation near their homes.

Villagers in Linton-on-Ouse say plans to create an asylum reception centre at the former RAF base are at the ‘wrong plan, wrong place’.

Dr Olga Matthias, spokesperson for Linton-on-Ouse Action Group, said: “We found out about this announcement when we opened our front doors to discover reporters on our streets, asking for our reaction to news we hadn’t even heard.

“There was no consultation whatsoever, not with anyone. The Home Office considers this a done deal, and that’s that. But that isn’t that, as far as we’re concerned. The villagers, our MP and our local councillors are continually putting questions to the Home Office, who only ever email back saying they’re keen to consult. But they never actually do it.”

At a Linton Parish Council meeting on April 21, Phil Riley, director of detention services at the Home Office, apologised for failing to consult about the plans, and promised to do better in future, but villagers say that has yet to happen.

Dr Matthias said: “What is democratic about imposing this disastrous plan on us, without discussing it with any of the individuals or organisations which will be hugely impacted? Just as one example, our sewage system is already at capacity – we know for a fact that any additional demand will simply tip the overflow of raw effluent into the River Ouse. Good luck to anyone living downstream.”

The Home Office has confirmed that the plans to move 1,500 male refugees into the former RAF Linton-on-Ouse near York site within six weeks will now go ahead, despite the growing concerns of local residents, MPs and councillors.

At the weekend Hambleton District Council’s chief executive said the council has instructed lawyers to begin to mount a legal challenge against the Government's decision.

Last night The Press reported that Thirsk and Malton Conservative Kevin Hollinrake said letters voicing concerns over the plan for the Linton-on-Ouse RAF site have gone unanswered.

Speaking on the plans, a Home Office spokesperson said: “The asylum reception centre at Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire, will help end our reliance on expensive hotels which are costing the taxpayer £4.7million a day.
“We are consulting with local stakeholders about the use of the site.
“The New Plan for Immigration will fix this broken asylum system, allowing us to support those in genuine need while preventing abuse of the system and deterring illegal entry to the UK.”