Failed attempt to house asylum seekers on former Lincoln airbase cost at least £48m

ITV News

2 days ago

Home Office accounts have revealed £48m was wasted on a plan to house asylum seekers on a former Lincoln airbase.
In March 2023, it was announced RAF Scampton was to house 2,000 migrants as part of proposals by the previous Conservative government to reduce the reliance on hotels.
The scheme was met with widespread anger and disbelief in the local area.
Plans were scrapped in September as part of an election pledge by the new Labour administration.
Nobody was ever housed at the site – the former home of the Dambusters – despite millions being poured into the project.
The level of losses have recently been published in the Home Office's accounts for the last year. It also showed costs could have ballooned as high as £180m if the project had been pursued for another three years.
The government has previously admitted that a total of around £60m was spent on the site, of which £48.5m has been recorded as a loss.
Lincoln MP Hamish Falconer told ITV News: "I'm honestly furious. I've been opposed to this plan since the very beginning. We always said this wasn't going to work for lots of obvious reasons.
"I saw the site, just about a month ago, and I could not believe - with fury - all the NHS spending that has gone on in Scampton for a plan that was never going to work. That money should have gone on Lincoln County Hospital.
"What we want to see is the site used for proper commercial purposes. It should be bringing in jobs. It should be reflecting the heritage of RAF Scampton.
"Obviously, there is an issue in relation to asylum seekers that needs to be dealt with, but RAF Scampton should be for different purposes and that's what I've always said."
Sarah Carter, from Save Our Scampton, said: "We're nearly a year down the line and we're still none the wiser what's going to happen here.
"All that money wasted, and they're still wasting it. It's just haemorrhaging money, and we want an end to this so we can stop spending the money and so we know what's going to be happening."
Backed by West Lindsey District Council, Scampton Holdings wants to develop the site. They're keen to push ahead with its regeneration plans to create a hub for heritage, aviation, defence and space.
In a report shared with ITV News - the company said the project would bring in £5m every year to the local visitor economy, support more than 750 jobs, and generate an estimated £25m.
Sally Grindrod-Smith is heavily involved in the West Lindsey District Council's plans for the regeneration with Scampton Holdings. She said: "I hear on a daily basis how frustrated the community are. You can see the site is deteriorating rapidly and there's real concerns over whether we'll be able to bring this back into use.
"We've worked hard to make sure there are still investors interested, and our development partners are ready to go.
"The council are committed, and we're ready to go once the home office get ready to sell the site."
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'A review carried out in September 2024 determined that, due to decisions taken by the previous government, the costs associated with the Scampton site had surged well beyond initial estimates and no longer delivered value for money for taxpayers.
'The cost of exiting this site was minimal compared to the projected minimum £180 million required to keep it running until March 2027.'