Full Breakdown
Controversy Over the Abandoned Linton-on-Ouse Asylum Site Proposal
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Political Context
Plans for a large-scale asylum accommodation centre at the former RAF Linton-on-Ouse were drawn up under the Conservative government of Boris Johnson in 2022. The proposal relied on converting the disused airfield—closed in 2019—into a housing site for asylum seekers. The Ministry of Defence later withdrew permission to use the base, causing the scheme to collapse.
Cost Projections and Occupancy Assumptions
The proposal estimated a nightly charge of £240 per bed, based on an assumed 30-50 % occupancy rate. Analysts note that reducing occupancy to 50 % would increase the per-night cost per bed, because fixed expenses would be spread over fewer occupants. The National Audit Office’s 2024 investigation found that the early “large-sites” programme was projected to cost £46 million more than the existing hotel model. In addition, the audit recorded £2.9 million of fruitless expenditure on the abandoned Linton-on-Ouse plan.
Official Government Positions
Labour’s former chancellor, Rachel Reeves, pledged that the programme would be completed by 2029, with an expected saving of £1 billion for taxpayers. Both parties present the shift from hotels to large sites as a fiscal benefit, despite the audit’s higher cost estimates.
Implications for Asylum-Housing Policy
The dispute underscores a tension between political promises of cost savings and audit findings of higher expenses. If the large-site model proceeds, the government may need to address the utility-supply costs and occupancy assumptions that drive the higher per-bed price. Conversely, abandoning the Linton-on-Ouse site may preserve the £2.9 million already spent but could delay the broader shift away from hotel-based asylum accommodation.
