Wethersfield: Priti Patel accuses government of being 'secretive' over asylum housing plan

Former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel has accused the government of being "secretive" about plans to house asylum seekers at an ex-RAF base.

The Daily Telegraph has reported there are plans to use the Wethersfield site in Essex for as long as five years.

The MP for nearby Witham said she had repeatedly asked for a timeframe but the Home Office had been "evasive".

The Home Office said military sites provided cheaper and more orderly accommodation than hotels.

However, the plans for the Wethersfield site have been criticised by charities and the local council as inappropriate.

The first group of migrants moved on to the disused RAF base in July.

The Home Office eventually wants to place 1,700 people at the site, which would make it the UK's largest asylum accommodation centre.

In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, Dame Priti said no clarity had been provided to her or local partners on how long the Home Office expected to use the site to house asylum seekers.

"Clear answers now need to be provided by the Home Office and the government must be transparent rather than evasive," she wrote. "The lack of clarity has been alarming and staggering."

The Telegraph reported that an internal Home Office document stated the government was planning to use two former RAF bases - at Wethersfield and Scampton in Lincolnshire - for between three to five years.

It said a former prison in Bexhill, East Sussex, could be used for a longer timeframe.

The Home Office said it had obtained planning permission to use the Wethersfield site for 12 months.

A spokesperson said: "These accommodation sites will house asylum seekers in basic, safe and secure accommodation as they await a decision on their claim.

"We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place."

Charities have said the Wethersfield site is remote and not appropriate for housing asylum seekers, claiming the buildings are in a state of disrepair.

Earlier this year, Braintree District Council sought an injunction to stop Wethersfield being used to house asylum seekers but it was denied.

Lawyers for the council said the Home Office had failed to take into account issues including access to healthcare and the ageing wastewater provision on site.

The council is now seeking a judicial review to stop the Home Office using the site.

The government says it wants to move away from using expensive hotels to house asylum seekers, which it says is costing the country £6.2m a day.

The increasing numbers claiming asylum - and the backlog of unprocessed claims - has led to a growth in the use of hotels as temporary accommodation.

Instead the government is trying to use alternatives, like barges and former military bases.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also made stopping people crossing the Channel in small boats one of his key priorities, to stem the flow of arrivals.