Furious anger has erupted after plans were published suggesting a local care home in Kent could be used to house asylum seeker children.
Plans proposed by Kent County Council (KCC) seek to place 50 children in Ocean Heights Residential Home in Minster on Sea on the Isle of Sheppey.
The children, aged 16 to 17, would be accompanied by county council staff and security at all times while on the site, which currently lies empty.
A letter from KCC seen by residents, suggests work will start “very soon” and is expected to take place until May when the site will become operational.
Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP, Gordon Henderson, said he was “extremely angry” when he learned of the plans.
He said: “While I understand that the council must follow the instructions of the High Court judgement and that asylum-seeking children must be properly cared for, I do not believe Ocean Heights should be used for this purpose.
Fury erupts as care home set to be turned into asylum seeker housing
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“I would like to assure my constituents that, along with my colleague Aisha Cuthbert, I will fiercely oppose this decision.”
A letter seen by GB News from KCC about the plans admits it cannot rule out the possibility that some asylum seekers placed at the site could be adults pretending to be children.
The letter reads: “ In July 2023, the High Court ruled KCC must take ‘every possible step’ to increase its capacity across the county to accommodate and look after all unaccompanied asylum-seeking (UAS) children that arrive.
“The legal process is ongoing, as are the funding discussions with Central Government but KCC is committed to sharing as much information as possible.”
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Gordon Henderson said he 'fiercely opposes the decision'
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It adds: “We will start works at Ocean Heights very soon to allow the accommodation to open for UAS children arriving in the spring/summer period. As a result, you will start to see increased activity at the site Enabling works
“Works are expected to be taking place on site until May 2024 when the centre will become operational. We will work closely with our contractors to ensure we minimise noise and disruption to the local residents and the neighbouring properties wherever is possible.
“We and our contractors are aware of the neighbouring care properties and we will be working to ensure any works are undertaken as sensitively as possible.”
The letter goes on to outline how the site will be managed.
The letter continued: “Ocean Heights will be registered with Ofsted, operate to its regulatory standards and be subject to regular inspections. The centre will be a temporary home for UAS children, aged 16 and 17. Current plans suggest the centre will provide 50 places. Ocean Heights will have KCC staff and security on site 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
“We can confirm all reception centres will be temporary homes for children, aged under 18 years old only.
“We understand concern that children accommodated at Ocean Heights might be adults stating they are children.
“Whilst UAS children may arrive to the UK without documentary evidence for their age, the Home Office robustly considers any differences between a child's claimed age and their presentation and the information they provide. If the Home Office considers a person to be older than 18 years old, they will not refer them to KCC.
“Accommodation and support for adult asylum seekers is provided by the Home Office. If concerns regarding a child's age are raised whilst they are in KCC's care, an age assessment is conducted.”
Huge numbers of migrants are still coming to Britain via small boats PAThe situation is made more complicated as the only KCC-funded adult social care home on the island was closed but the displaced residents were seemingly not offered the chance to use Ocean Heights.
KCC announced it would be shutting the Blackburn Lodge facility in Sheerness due to a water supply problem in November, leaving 13 elderly residents scrambling to find a new home.
Then in February, KCC proposed the permanent closure of the building which would take £4million and 13 months to refurbish to the required standards.
Criticising why Ocean Heights was not used to house the displaced residents from Blackburn Lodge, Henderson said: “I have been pressing KCC to provide alternative accommodation for adult social care for people on the Island, but they said there were no suitable premises.
“To then use Ocean Heights, which is a new, perfectly good, and empty care home to house unaccompanied asylum seeker children, is rubbing salt into a very sore wound.
“We are concerned about the decision also because Ocean Heights is situated in a holiday area on Sheppey, and is right next to the Little Oyster Care Home that specialises in caring for people with learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities and mental health conditions.
“I know many of my constituents will agree with Aisha and me, and I would like to assure them that I have made clear our views, in the strongest terms, to the leader of Kent County Council.
“I will also immediately contact the Home Office, and then raise my concerns in Parliament, as a matter of urgency, after the Easter recess.”
KCC has said that it currently has two reception centres to provide accommodation and care for asylum seeker children but that the sites “cannot sustainably cope with increased demand”.
A spokesperson for the council told Kent Online: “A total of nine properties have been identified across Kent as suitable for use as new UAS Children Reception Centres including the currently empty Ocean Heights property on the Isle of Sheppey.
“Ring-fenced central government funding will be provided to KCC to acquire and bring online appropriate accommodation to meet Ofsted regulations. The ongoing management of this additional accommodation will be funded by the Home Office and will not present an additional unfair burden on Kent taxpayers.
“As with existing Reception Centres, they will all be run by KCC employees and will have stringent security and safeguarding controls in place. They will be used for the accommodation and care of UAS Children until they are transferred to other UK authorities under the NTS.
“By bringing these properties into use as new Reception Centres, the High Court is endorsing the council’s views it will be better placed to meet the requirements of the court ruling and its statutory duties under the Children’s Act 1989.”