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Scampton: community update newsletter

Updated 10 April 2024

March 2024

Key information to update the local community about the Scampton site

This newsletter has been developed to help provide you, the local community, with updates and future developments on the site, answers to questions you may have and provide reassurances to your concerns.

Background and context

The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached significant levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain. The Home Office has a legal obligation to support destitute asylum seekers.

The Home Office is making every effort to reduce our reliance on hotels through alternative forms of accommodation and limit the burden on the taxpayer. There were more than 46,000 asylum seekers in hotels as of the end of September 2023, costing £8 million a day. Developing these sites will ensure cheaper and more manageable accommodation is provided for people crossing in small boats. 

The Home Office has taken over the running of Scampton to accommodate asylum seekers who arrive in the UK. The Scampton site will provide adequate, safe accommodation for asylum seekers and is designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, helping to minimise the impact on local communities and services.

What is an asylum seeker?

Under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 an asylum seeker is a person who is not under 18 and has made a claim for asylum which has been recorded by the Secretary of State, but which has not been determined.

What happens to asylum seekers once they arrive in the UK via small boat?

Small boat crossings are dangerous, unnecessary, and put individuals on the vessels at risk. There have been appalling and preventable tragedies in the English Channel which must stop.  

Migrants on vessels are intercepted by Border Force and brought to facilities in Dover where their asylum claim will begin to be processed if they have claimed.

Full screening of people’s identity, security checks, initial asylum screening and processing is undertaken at Western Jet Foil in Dover and Manston, Kent.  

Asylum seekers are then moved to suitable accommodation locations as quickly as possible, which will include Scampton.

Health

Upon arrival in the UK, all individuals are offered a health check at Western Jet Foil in Dover and Manston, Kent. If necessary, healthcare practitioners at Manston administer medical care. This limits the impact on local healthcare systems around the country.

The Home Office has robust procedures to deal with any individuals with potential symptoms of infectious diseases when they arrive at Manston, in line with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance. Those who present with potential symptoms are made to isolate. Only once isolation is complete, and they have been assessed by a doctor, are they able proceed into the asylum accommodation system. To complement this work, there is an extensive vaccination programme at Manston.

Financial support will be provided, and the intention is to establish basic primary care on-site to ensure there is a minimal impact on local GPs. 

We are working with local NHS colleagues and NHS England to understand the nature of the services in the local area. We will work to ensure the provision of services on site minimises any potential impact of the Home Office’s use of the site.

Planning

The Home Office initially secured planning permission to use the site as asylum accommodation under Class Q emergency Crown development planning provisions. Under Class Q, the Home Office is permitted to use the site for non-detained asylum accommodation for a 12-month period until April 2024.

The Home Office is extending planning permission for the temporary use of the site for a further three-year period by way of a Special Development Order (SDO) with up to six months decommissioning following.

A Special Development Order (SDO) is a form of secondary legislation made through laying a Statutory Instrument. An SDO was laid on 21 March 2024 to extend the use of Wethersfield for a further three years.

In line with parliamentary convention, the Order will come into effect 21 days later.

The purpose of the SDO is to enable the government to secure consent to continue using the site as asylum accommodation once Class Q expires.

This ensures that the Home Secretary can continue to fulfil his statutory duties to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute in a manner which reduces the use of inappropriate hotels.

The Home Office remains committed to working with key stakeholders as we deliver the site.

We have been working closely with the Ministry of Defence and recognise Scampton’s place in history, most notably for its contribution in the Second World War and more recently as the home of the Red Arrows.

The Home Office has also been engaging with partners including Historic England, West Lindsey District Council, Lincolnshire County Council, and Lincolnshire Police.

The Home Office remains committed to working with key stakeholders to facilitate their vision for the site.

Impact on community and local services

The Scampton site has been designed to be as self-sufficient as possible in order to minimise the potential impact on local communities, services, and the need to leave the site.

This includes providing accommodation with:

• on-site medical provision
• catering
• communal space
• faith and worship facilities
• recreational and sporting facilities

We are working with local partners to continue to keep them informed about what is happening on site. This has included various local community engagement events.

The Home Office has carefully considered the impact on local services including the NHS, police, and fire services.

The Home Office is providing funding to the NHS to support an on-site primary healthcare service to reduce the impact on local services.

The department is working with local partners to develop bespoke plans that take account of local environmental and heritage concerns.

To minimise the potential impact on the local services, and to ensure the orderly flow of people onto and off the site, a regular transport service will be in place to take asylum seekers to local urban centres.

Funding

Funding has been allocated to Lincolnshire Police. In advance of the site opening the police have put in place a small team of officers to work with the local community and partners.

The government currently provides £3,500 to local authorities for new and occupied beds across the country.

The site has been designed to limit the impact on the local community. The Home Office is providing funding to the NHS to support an on-site primary health service to reduce the impact on local services. Asylum seekers will register at the onsite facility to reduce the impact on the local health services

Safety and security

The Home Office recognises the specific concerns raised by the community.

We are working with key stakeholders to manage the impact of using the Scampton site to accommodate asylum seekers and address those concerns. For instance, we are working with Lincolnshire Police to ensure appropriate policing for the site and local community.

The safety and security of the local community, asylum seekers and staff are of paramount importance.

Asylum seekers allocated to the site will have undergone asylum screening assessments, including checks against police and immigration databases.

The Home Office will ensure that those accommodated are suitable to be on the site.

On arriving, asylum seekers will receive a briefing and orientation about the site and the local community, including traffic safety. In addition to information about how to access services on and off site, the briefing explains what constitutes appropriate behaviour. It sets out acceptable and unacceptable behaviours as well as their responsibilities as individuals to act as good neighbours.

A specialist and experienced security provider is working on site 24/7, with measures such as mobile CCTV units.

Lincolnshire Police has implemented a small community team of officers who will work with local communities and partners in advance of the site opening to asylum seekers.

If any criminal activity does occur on site, our provider has robust processes in place to report them to the police.

What will the capacity be at Scampton?

The first asylum seekers will arrive in small numbers, starting with no more than about 60 individuals. This will then be increased sustainably over time using a phased approach.  

Following a review of occupancy capacity at Scampton site, the Home Office has made a decision to cap the regular occupancy.

The regular occupancy numbers at Scampton will be a maximum of 800 asylum seekers (reduced from 2,000).

During normal operation of the site, the population will not exceed 800. However, if capacity is required to deal with unexpected higher than forecast small boat arrivals, a decision may be taken to utilise additional bed spaces (about 300) for short and defined periods of time. If this is the case, there will be a detailed schedule of activity to return the site to a maximum population of 800 as soon as possible.

Why has the decision been made to reduce capacity Scampton?

As part of our review of the capacity cap, we have taken into account lessons learned as we have increased occupancy on site at Wethersfield and listened to the feedback and concerns of the local community.

It is important that we are reducing hotel costs and delivering our asylum accommodation sites in a safe and orderly manner. Implementing a cap on occupation demonstrates that our priority is listening to local concerns, mitigating impacts, and managing the site safely.

The capacity cap allows us to maintain absolute focus on service delivery.

Our support provider

Serco, who will be running the site on behalf of the Home Office, is responsible for the safeguarding of the asylum seekers. Our service providers are experienced in managing asylum seeker accommodation in an orderly and secure manner.

Additional support

The Home Office is in the process of establishing relationships with Voluntary Sector Organisations to establish what support can be provided at the site.

Contact us

We understand the community may have various questions and concerns relating to these plans. We endeavour to keep you updated however, if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us:

Home Office
Direct Communications Unit
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk

Telephone: 020 7035 4848