Government plans to turn East Sussex site into 'detention centre' for asylum seekers slammed as 'cruel'

In March this year, the Home Office revealed its proposals to turn Northeye, a disused prison and training centre in Bexhill, into a centre for asylum seekers.

The site is one of several in the UK to be chosen.

Yesterday (Thursday, August 31), Bexhill MP Huw Merriman said that the Home Office is now planning to use Northeye as a centre ‘for those who have arrived in the UK illegally’ and are awaiting deportation.

He said: “This means the centre will be a closed, detained and secure site and that those staying will not be expected to remain for longer than 45 days. Those moving to the centre would do so under a phased approach.”

But campaigners from Stand Up To Racism blasted the plans as ‘cruel’ and accused the Government of ‘grandstanding to make headlines’.

Daniel Rushby, for Bexhill Stand Up To Racism, said: “This is terrible news. Northeye will become a centre for the mass deportation of asylum seekers and migrants. Since the initial announcement in April we have been campaigning in defence of refugees and we know that the people of Bexhill are compassionate and caring.

“People seeking asylum are not criminals and should be welcomed into our community, just like Ukrainian refugees. The Government should demolish Northeye and build affordable houses, not a prison camp, bringing jobs to Bexhill without relying on cruelty to refugees.

“Stand Up To Racism opposes the Northeye detention centre and we will organise to prevent deportations to Rwanda or anywhere else.”

Simon Hester, chair of Hastings and District Trades Union Council, said: “The cost-of-living crisis faced by millions of workers is not caused by people seeking asylum but by the Government’s own policies. The NHS and schools are collapsing because of years of cuts and privatisation, migrant workers have been central to all that is best in Britain. The trade union movement in Rother and Hastings will stand with refugees and migrants.”

Since the plans for Northeye were first unveiled earlier this year, several protests have been held in Bexhill, organised by the No to Northeye group.

Thousands of people have also signed online petitions opposing the proposals.

Nigel Jacklin, co-founder of the No to Northeye group, said: “While this use is less worse than the original proposals to use the site as an open accommodation centre we will continue to oppose it.

“We do welcome any measures that will stop illegal arrivals; effectively tackling this and processing claims in good time would eliminate the need for large-scale accommodation centres. Using lower cost hotels would destroy the business case for large-scale accommodation centres.

"Having visited and spoken to fellow campaign groups in Wethersfield and Scampton it is clear that local people lack confidence in the Home Office’s ability to plan anything, communicate with people and take local residents’ concerns into account.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This Government is taking action to address the unacceptable costs of housing migrants in hotels, which is costing the taxpayer around £6 million a day. Bexhill has been identified as an alternative to hotels as a site that is suitable for the purposes of asylum seeker accommodation.

“Alternative large sites such as surplus military land and this site at Bexhill are not only more affordable for taxpayers than hotels, but also more manageable and orderly than hotels for communities, thanks to healthcare and catering facilities on site, 24/7 security and purpose-built basic accommodation.”