Essex County Council, which is controlled by Reform UK, plans to deploy private security guards in Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford after the Home Office approved a temporary expansion of the Wethersfield asylum centre. Council leader Peter Harris said the move, named Operation Vanguard, responds to concerns about community safety as more residents are transported from the former RAF site into nearby towns; the Home Office’s approach has become part of a wider political dispute over asylum accommodation.

The centre’s capacity is set to rise by 445 places, from 800 to 1,245 men, with up to 60 additional people arriving each week from late July. Operation Vanguard will initially last three months, placing two guards in each of the three locations and being funded by council tax payers. Wethersfield opened in 2023 as an alternative to asylum hotels, while the Government says it wants a broader and more geographically balanced mix of accommodation so that poorer communities do not carry a disproportionate burden.