𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Furious villagers have launched a desperate bid to block a controversial Labour asylum scheme, warning a temporary facility operating for under two years could rack up an eye-watering £270million bill. A quiet Yorkshire village with just 700 residents has been thrown into turmoil by Labour’s plan to erect a massive asylum facility on its doorstep. Locals in idyllic Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire, are now demanding an immediate Treasury investigation after calculations revealed housing up to 1,200 migrants at a disused RAF base could cost up to six times more per night than using hotels.

In a furious open letter addressed to the Chancellor, John Healey, campaign group Linton Action demanded an immediate financial review before public funds are committed to transforming the airbase. The group projected that housing up to 1,200 asylum seekers at the former RAF site could cost taxpayers £270.9million across a condensed 23-month operational window.

With the site potentially required to be handed back to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by July 2029 – and factoring in a mandatory six-month decommissioning period – the centre may operate for less than two years. At lower occupancy levels, this drives the estimated cost to an eye-watering £443 to £853 per occupied bed per night, in stark contrast to the standard hotel benchmark of £144.98 per night.

Speaking on GB News, Linton Action Group spokesperson Professor Olga Matthias blasted ministers: “It’s based on the fact that you’ve got all the set-up costs, all the decommissioning costs, you’ve then got a projected cost of about £240 a night, assuming full occupancy.

“Now, looking at all the bases that have been used so far… they operate on between 30-50% occupancy, and so if it is projected at £240 a night, when you drop that to 50% occupancy, that shoots up.”

Plans to turn the disused airfield into an asylum accommodation centre were originally proposed under Boris Johnson’s administration in 2022, but were scrapped after the MoD withdrew permission.

Activists highlight that reviving the scheme will require massive spending on basic utility upgrades – including water, electricity and sewage infrastructure – which have deteriorated since the base closed in 2019. Further public funds will be required for healthcare, policing, transport and site restoration.

The letter, reported by YorkshireLive, also cites a National Audit Office (NAO) report from March 2024, which revealed that the initial large-scale asylum accommodation programme exceeded hotel costs by £46million and racked up £2.9million in wasted spending on the previously abandoned Linton-on-Ouse project.

Crucially, campaigners warn that a temporary facility risks derailing long-term plans by York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith to redevelop the site for local housing and commercial growth.

The figures have sparked fierce backlash from campaigners and politicians alike. TaxPayers’ Alliance director William Yarwood slammed the “outrageous waste,” warning taxpayers are being “hammered by the eye-watering cost of illegal migration,” while Robert Bates of the Centre for Migration Control accused Whitehall of a “heavy-handed approach” that leaves the public to “stump up an exorbitant amount of money.”

Local MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke backed residents, stating “the only people supporting this plan are the Labour Government”. Campaigners have said they have had no contact from ministers since the plans were revived four months ago.

A Home Office spokesperson defended the policy, stating: “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,” they added. “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.”