The Government has told Fenland District Council that it intends to house 26 mothers and babies at Roman Court in Leverington, and that this is just the initial part of a plan to move 205 asylum seekers to Fenland. This follows a change of policy by the Labour Government in July 2025 to move asylum seekers into rural communities like ours.
Under the previous Conservative government, it was recognised that this area was not suitable for asylum accommodation like this, and it was exempt from asylum accommodation in the agreement with Serco.
This plan is a deliberate change of policy as part of moving asylum seekers into rural communities like Fenland, even though the services are not there to accommodate them. They have not said what the proposed timescale is for their plan.
The leader of Fenland District Council has told me that they had no involvement in producing any asylum accommodation plan for Fenland, so this is being imposed on us by the Government. My letter to the Home Secretary is enclosed, asking her to clarify when this plan was produced for 205 asylum seekers, that she provides more information about the impacts this will have, and making clear it is not suitable for this rural community.
I am strongly opposed to this decision. It reinforces why we need to leave the ECHR as Kemi Badenoch has committed to doing. Until we can can detain and deport people who come to the country illegally, we will continue to see the high cost of asylum accommodation to the taxpayer alongside the wider pressures on public services.
