Northeye: Contaminated former prison’s acquisition by Govt for asylum accommodation scrutinised by PAC
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) holds an evidence session on the acquisition of the former HMP Northeye site for asylum accommodation at 3.30pm on Monday 9 December. The session follows the National Audit Office’s (NAO) recently published report on the topic.
Meeting details
In 2023–24, the Home Office spent approximately £4.7bn on asylum support, of which around £3.1bn was spent on hotels. The previous Government’s policy announcement on asylum, including ending the use of hotels, created significant pressure within the Home Office to quickly identify and purchase large sites, such as disused military bases, for asylum accommodation.
In September 2023, the Home Office acquired the former HMP Northeye site in East Sussex for around £15.4 million, paying the vendors more than double what they had purchased the site for less than a year previously. The NAO found that despite the Home Office’s expectations that the site could be used to house up to 1,400 people, no work has yet begun on the site, which is contaminated and requires remediating.
The NAO’s report also highlighted a litany of missed opportunities for cross-department learning, as ‘in house’ property teams were passed over for the use contracted staff, a decision which led to additional costs for the Home Office of £0.9million. The report also raised concerns with the speed at which the site was purchased, as this likely contributed to the severe underestimation of work needed to address both environmental and asbestos contamination at the site.
On Thursday 5 December the Committee published a letter sent to the Home Office to request clarification on a number of matters ahead of the public evidence session being held the following week.
The Committee will likely challenge senior officials from the Home Office on topics including:
- The decision-making process behind the acquisition of the Northeye site;
- How asylum accommodation plans may be impacted by wider policy and strategy changes and;
- What lessons can be learned from the mistakes made during the purchase of this site that will enable Government to deliver value for money in future projects.