October 31, 2023 7.17 pm This story is over 8 months old

RAF Scampton Judicial Review: Council challenges legality of Home Office asylum centre

Day one in the High Court: The arguments from both sides and reactions
Taking the government to High Court: WLDC's Director of Planning and Regeneration Sally Gringrod-Smith | Photo: James Turner
By Local Democracy Reporter

West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) have challenged in High Court the legality of the government’s plans to use RAF Scampton as an asylum processing centre. Below is a quick summary. Read further for the whole story and reactions.

  1. West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) is challenging the UK government in the High Court over plans to use RAF Scampton as an asylum processing centre for up to 2,000 male migrants.
  2. The Judicial Review is scrutinising the government’s use of Class Q emergency planning permission, inadequate Environmental Impact Assessment, and failure to conduct an Equality Impact Assessment.
  3. The government argues that the RAF sites are essential to prevent a rise in homelessness among asylum seekers, citing hotel costs of £151 per person per night compared to £141 at Scampton.
  4. WLDC has invested over £370,000 in Scampton redevelopment proposals and remains confident in their legal position, citing discrepancies in the Home Office’s planning duration.
  5. A judgement could take up to a month, but local councillors and WLDC officials have expressed heightened confidence in their case, which continues on Wednesday.

Presenting their case to Mrs Justice Thornton at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday, the local authority argued against the Home Office’s proposal to house up to 2,000 male migrants, largely from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran, at the historic Dambusters base.

The court also heard similar claims by Braintree District Council and Wethersfield resident Gabriel Clarke-Holland, who contended that the government’s plans to house up to 1,700 asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield were also unlawful.

Read the full story on MyLocal, the new home of The Lincolnite.