09 Aug Plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers in Linton-on-Ouse abandoned
PLANS to house hundreds of asylum seekers at a former RAF base next to a village in Yorkshire have been abandoned, GB News can reveal.
An official statement is due from the Home Office in the near future, but it is understood that the Ministry of Defence has withdrawn permission for the Home Office to use the base at Linton-on-Ouse.
Villagers in Linton launched a high profile campaign to halt the plans when they were announced in April.
Locals said the plans to house up to 1,500 men at the base would destroy village life and could jeopardise the safety of local people.
Hambleton District Council, the local authority in the area, prompted a temporary halt to the proposals when it announced possible legal action if the Home Office continued with its plans.
Speaking on GB News in May, Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, claimed the plans could “treble the size of the village”.
Mr Hollinrake said: “I think it’s a disgraceful choice of site, I think the Home Office has looked at the site, the accommodation as an RAF base, I think the accommodation there could be suitable for purpose.
“But the site itself is entirely unsuitable.
“This is an open site, it’s not a detained site.
“The village itself has 600 people, this is effectively trebling the size of the village.
“1,500 young, single men from around the world who are there for up to six months can freely walk around that village.
“You can understand the concern and indeed panic from people in that village.
“Its absolutely wrong that a single village should be sacrificed on the altar of a national policy priority, it’s simply wrong.”
The proposals formed part of the Government’s renewed drive to deal with the growing crisis of Channel migrants which has now reached more than 18,500 so far this year.
Another controversial proposal to sent asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing has also been mired in legal challenges and shows no sign of being enacted any time soon.
