Council containing Britain’s biggest asylum camp only spent £40,000 on extra police, despite £2.7m unspent grants: Local women say they are ‘terrified’
Braintree District Council has been criticised for spending only £40,000 on extra police patrols while holding £2.7 million in unspent Home Office grants intended to help manage the impact of the asylum centre at RAF Wethersfield. The issue matters to residents who have called for more patrols and say they feel intimidated, while the council says restrictions and delays imposed by the Home Office have prevented it from using more of the funding.
The council received more than £3.8 million between July 2023 and June 2026 for the site, which can house 1,245 people and has a surge capacity of 1,700. Police recorded 232 calls to the site since 2020, including 192 after asylum seekers moved in; these included reports of assault, rape, sexual offences, theft and other offences. Police records also show 62 crimes involving site residents, 13 resulting in a charge or caution, while the council and Braintree’s MP have called on the Home Office to clarify how the grant can be spent.
In short
- Braintree council has £2.7 million in asylum-site grants unspent.
- It allocated £40,000 for additional community patrols.
- The council says Home Office restrictions have delayed spending.
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The case for
Residents and critics can argue that a substantial grant should translate into visible reassurance and practical support, especially when local women say they feel intimidated and police have recorded calls and crimes connected with the site. Spending only £40,000 on extra patrols despite £2.7 million unspent raises fair questions about whether the council has done enough to address residents’ concerns and use the funds promptly.
The case against
The council can argue that it cannot responsibly spend restricted Home Office grants outside their permitted purposes, and says delays and unclear rules have constrained its response. The police figures cover a range of reports and do not by themselves establish that asylum seekers generally pose a threat, while the council’s and MP’s requests for clarification suggest that the Home Office shares responsibility for enabling effective local support.
Explained simply
RAF Wethersfield is a former airbase in Essex that the Home Office uses to accommodate people seeking asylum while their claims are considered. It can house more than 1,200 people, with capacity to increase temporarily, and is within Braintree District Council’s area.
The Home Office has provided the council with grants to help manage the centre’s local impact, including pressure on public services and requests for policing. Braintree District Council says limits and delays set by the Home Office have made it difficult to use more of the money, and it and the area’s MP have asked for clearer guidance.
The issue affects people living near the site, some of whom have called for more police patrols and say they feel intimidated. Police records include reports of offences connected with the centre, but those figures do not by themselves establish who was responsible or the circumstances of each report.