“With Christmas fast approaching, we have very significant concerns around the potential for your decision and possible use of the site to take place….” said council leader
The Home Office has delayed a decision on whether or not to use Crowborough Camp nine miles from Tunbridge Wells for housing for 540 men seeking asylum until after the New Year.
Wealden District Council’s chair James Partridge – who has personally been threatened over the proposals – said people should have “a peaceful family time” at Christmas, and police be able to expect a break with their families.
The Home Office has also told the council no asylum seekers housed at Napier Barracks in Folkestone will be closed when the facility shuts tomorrow (Friday, December 19).
Mr Partridge wrote to Border and Asylum Minister Alex Norris MP on December 11 asking that the site was not used for asylum seekers during the Christmas period and nor would a decision about its use for such a purpose be made during this time.
He said: “With Christmas fast approaching, we have very significant concerns around the potential for your decision and possible use of the site to take place at a time when the focus of the local community should be on coming together and having peaceful family time.
“This is a challenging period for local service providers, particularly Sussex Police and the NHS as they balance complex pressures and their team’s reasonable expectation of a break with their families.
“Whilst we understand that you and your team do not want to enter into a running commentary on the timetable for your final decision, given these specific issues, we invite you to clarify that you have no intention of ruining Christmas for our community and those that work tirelessly to protect and care for us, and confirm that no decision will be made before 5 January at the very earliest.”
‘This has escalated to threats to personal wellbeing of council leadership’
Referring to being threatened and community tensions, Mr Partridge told Mr Norris last month that having attended a “strictly confidential briefing”, along with deputy council leader Rachel Millward, the information was then leaked, somewhat lighting a touch paper locally.
“We observed your request for confidentiality only to see this breached by a leak to the media which we trust is being investigated. Did it come from within the Home Office?
“The leak resulted in an increase in community tensions, and the spread of misinformation. This has escalated to threats to personal wellbeing of council leadership. These tensions will only continue to rise as we get nearer the proposed opening of the site.”
“Please do not underestimate the gravity of the situation here. The Home Office’s lack of presence locally is lamentable. Given your and your team’s total failure to keep the promises made and the now obvious consequences of that failure, it is essential that you reverse your decision.”
Last month, the council, which is fighting the use of Crowborough Camp, served a planning contravention notice on the Home Office, demanding to know what works were underway on site, and on what basis the Home Office “deem the works to be lawful”.
In its response, the Home Office said many of the council’s questions could not be answered as they related to potential future activities on site, and not ones which had occurred.
It also said it would not respond to a further five of the questions because “The Planning Practice Guidance (and case law) is clear that the power to serve a PCN should not be used to undertake an investigative trawl”.
The Home Office said: “We can confirm that discussions are underway to use the Cameron Barracks and Crowborough sites for asylum accommodation, which will house around 900 single adult males across both sites.”
Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE.
