Council agrees RAF Barnham wrong place to house asylum seekers

01 Jul 2026

RAF Barnham is the wrong place to house asylum seekers West Suffolk councillors have agreed at an urgent meeting held this afternoon, Wednesday 1 July.

A motion, heard at the meeting, confirmed the council’s unanimous position that the former Royal Air Force (RAF) station is not the right place to home asylum seekers as proposed by the Home Office.

It also said the authority will engage urgently and constructively with the Home Office to represent the significant local concerns raised by the community.

The motion follows a ministerial statement on Monday which confirmed RAF Barnham was one of three sites under consideration to house asylum seekers. The statement confirmed that eventually, all three in total, could provide accommodation for around 3,750 asylum seekers, subject to feasibility assessments, planning permission and the necessary approvals.

Leader, Cllr Cliff Waterman proposed the motion which was seconded by West Suffolk Councillor for Barnham, Cllr Andrew Smith.

Cllr Cliff Waterman said: “We only heard the news on Thursday that the Home Office was proposing Barnham to house asylum seekers. Since then, I have spoken to local representatives and listened to the local community. It is clear that this is not the right place for such a facility.

“I requested the meeting as a matter of urgency because our communities deserve certainty. It gave all councillors the opportunity to have their say and I am glad we agreed to send a strong message to the Home Office in support of our communities.

“The site is in a rural area, and there are concerns about security, impact on services and the community as well as the suitability of putting a large number of people in a location without adequate facilities. RAF Barnham is also within the Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation Buffer Zone which restricts what developments can be built or used for. This has restricted the base being developed in the past and wider housing development in the area.

“This is time for cool heads and evidence-based arguments, not divisive language or actions. This motion shows our council is standing with local communities. It also means we will continue to robustly engage with the Home Office to make sure they clearly understand our position.”

Cllr Andrew Smith, Local Member for Barnham, said: “It is very clear that this is not the right place to house such a facility and I welcome the support that West Suffolk Councillors have given to local communities and backed this motion. Residents are rightly concerned about this surprise news. Now we will start the work of gathering the evidence to make the strongest case possible to take to the Home Office. That requires us all working together and the council has shown they are willing to do this. This is simply the wrong place and would adversely impact on a very small community which has neither the facilities nor services to deal with this.”

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