Oxfordshire’s Campsfield immigration centre to reopen by December
The government has awarded a contract to Mitie to run the centre, aiming to reopen the site with refurbished facilities to house up to 400 detainees despite local opposition.
The government plans to reopen Campsfield House immigration centre near Oxford by December, awarding a contract to run the site to facilities company Mitie.
Campsfield House, located in Kidlington, was closed in 2018 after a history of riots, escapes, and complaints about conditions. Last year, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed the government’s intention to reopen the centre despite opposition from activists and local politicians.
On 2 July, Mitie was given a six-year contract to manage the centre, with an option to extend for two more years. Mitie previously operated Campsfield before its closure and runs other immigration removal centres at Dungavel and Heathrow.
Bill MacKeith, from the Keep Campsfield Closed coalition, said: “Mitie does not have a good record. Its time running Campsfield was marred by a major fire, suicide and three mass hunger strikes. Just a year ago, the Chief Inspector of Prisons reported that at MITIE-run Harmondsworth detention centre near Heathrow, ‘inspectors found the worst conditions they have seen in immigration detention’. It is shocking that the company responsible for that has been awarded this contract.”
Green councillor Ian Middleton confirmed he had received a letter from the Deputy Director of Immigration Enforcement, Will Round, outlining the plan to reopen the centre by December. Councillor Middleton said the timetable’s feasibility was uncertain and criticised the lack of transparency around refurbishments.
He added: “The fact that this is the same company who ran Campsfield immediately before its closure doesn’t bode well for future detainees and adds further to the perception that the Labour government is making the same mistakes as their predecessors.”
The Home Office has said the centre will be refurbished to house 160 people initially, with plans to expand to 400 in the future. Mitie said the centre would be the first all-electric immigration removal centre powered solely by renewable energy, including solar panels and heat pumps. Councillor Middleton called this “tone-deaf” and said: “I’m sure those desperate people being held without trial in Campsfield will find cold comfort in claims that power for the systems denying them their liberty is sustainably sourced.”
The government stated: “The site will be a secure IRC Immigration Removal Centre. Detained men will be held under immigration powers and will not be free to leave the centre or access the local area. The IRC will have robust physical security measures and appropriate security procedures in place to ensure the facility operates safely and securely.”
More than 1,600 people have signed a petition opposing the reopening. Any expansion plans will require planning permission from Cherwell District Council, but no applications have been submitted so far.