Refugee charity in Essex says it's "disappointed" with Wethersfield decision
Government announced this week RAF Wethersfield would be used to house asylum seekers
A refugee charity in Essex says it's disappointed by the government's decision to house asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield.
Earlier this week, the government unveiled plans to house asylum seekers in disused military bases including RAF Wethersfield near Braintree. The move is an attempt to cut down on the the £6.8m per day government spends on asylum hotels.
But critics of the government, including RAMA, which supports refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in North Essex, says the location is unsuitable.
Shelley Braddock-Overbury is a Senior Case Worker at the charity: "Being in an institution setting, it's going to be very military-like, which will feel a bit like a prison to its occupants.
"There's going to be a strict daily regime and tight security, and considering these people are seeking asylum here because of what they've been through, this is going to have a profound and corrosive impact on both their physical and mental health."
According to Shelley, there are other ways to house asylum seekers rather than using ex-military bases: "We just feel it would be much better to place people in town settings.
"There's lots of different ways that that people could be engaged in community and we saw with the Ukrainian program roll out we can be creative. Our government has shown they can be creative and they can engage the public should they want to.
"But they seem to be wanting to do the opposite and keeping these people distant and creating this narrative that they've done something wrong", she said.
Braintree District Council has sought an interim injunction from the High Court regarding the use of Wethersfield, which is expected to be addressed in seven days.