Planned demonstration to slam shut Campsfield detention centre
A petition to Keep Campsfield Closed on change.org has 1,534 signatures
Credit: ITV News
A demonstration outside Campsfield house detention centre has been orgnised by the opposition group, ‘Keep Campsfield Closed Coalition’ for the 30th of November.
Campsfield House IRC in Kidlington, closed after years of problems, including riots, escapes and complaints about conditions. Its closure in 2018 came after years of protesting by local groups including the Keep Campsfield Closed Coalition. Labour government plans to continue with the detention centres re-opening after original plans by the Conservative home office were announced in June 2022.
Galliford Try, one of the UK's leading construction groups, was awarded a £70m contract to revamp the immigration removal centre in May.
When asked for a statement the Coalition to Keep Campsfield said:
“In recent weeks the government has received two setbacks to its plans to re-open Campsfield immigration detention centre near Kidlington. First, on 21 October Cherwell District Council – the planning authority for the area including Campsfield - voted for a motion moved by Green councillor Ian Middleton calling on the Home Secretary to:
Abandon the re-opening of Campsfield House.”
The motion further outlines, “ ‘accelerating the processing of asylum claims’ and ‘reduce, rather than increase, the number of people held in detention.’ ”
“Cherwell joins Kidlington Parish, Oxford City and Oxfordshire County Council in opposing the Conservative government’s plans now adopted by the Labour Government.
Second, in a continued challenge to the Labour government, the Oxford and District Labour Party decided at its monthly members meeting last Friday to write to the Home Secretary expressing dissatisfaction with her unconvincing explanation of why Campsfield needs to reopen and calling on her to reverse this decision, and agreed to join the many other organisations supporting the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed and to encourage members to join the demonstration on 30 November at Campsfield.”
A letter from the Home Office to Oxford City Council said: “to support the higher pace of removals" and that the authority aims to "deter and tackle immigration abuse and protect the public and vulnerable individuals within the system”.