Home Office Meeting Notes

NOTES FROM MEETING AT POLLYPLATT SCHOOL BETWEEN HOME OFFICE AND PARENTS – 25.09.2023

HO – Home Office            S – Serco              P – Police             MoP – Member of Public

• HO advised the meeting that they are hoping Scampton will be a self-contained site with everything needed for the Service Users onsite from medical teams, food and drink, entertainment, places to worship, hairdressers etc.  They would be provided with buses to take them to Lincoln and possibly Newark.  They would be onsite for 6-9 months and would then be moved to dispersed housing.  They would be given an allowance of £9 per week and they would be able to use this at the onsite shop.  Screening would be added to the fence between the school and the site but that this would only be temporary fencing gat the moment due to the stop notice being in place but this would eventually be 2 fences with screening.  There would also be 24/7 security with both fixed and mobile CCTV in place.
• MoP - What about the nursery?
• HO - They will get a specific point of contact.
• MoP – Will they not get any fencing?
• HO – No extra fencing will be added to the nursery.
• MoP – What about the children walking from the nursery to the school for morning and afterschool club?  There are 2 members of staff (usually women) walking alone with 16ish children?
• HO – No extra support will be given.
• MoP – What risk assessment has been taken for the residents, children and staff?
• HO – the risk assessment is not available to be published.  There have been no issues at any other sites.  Wethersfield currently has no issues.
• MoP – It is written on the .gov.uk website that lessons have been learnt but there are some scary repots for the residents to read from the assessments that have taken place to learn these lessons.  What assurances/mitigations are being done for Scampton?
• HO - There are independent assessments taking placing but there is nothing available to show to public.  However, Napier is now running better following these independent assessments.  They even have a 5 a side football team playing with the community.
• MoP – How often are these assessments taking place?
• HO – There are no specific timescales, it is up to the inspectors as and when they come out.
• MoP – if there are no issues with other sites then why was a job advertised with the wording dangerous people?
• S – This was entirely a Serco mistake.  When the job was written, the HR department copied another role and did not take that part out.  This has since been rectified.
• MoP – If they are now classed as illegal as they have come on a small boat why are they not being detained?
• HO – Because we do not have enough detained accommodation.
• MoP – But why?
• HO – They will all be screened before they come to Scampton and if they fail the screening then they will not be allowed to come.
• MoP – If they have no ID then how will you know who they are and where they have come from?
• HO – We will be using biometrics as part of the screening.
• MoP – But if the country that they have come from don’t use biometrics then you have no idea if they are safe to be here or not?
• HO – ‘yeah, I know’
• S – We currently look after 43000 people and there are only 83 who are classed as a serious risk.
• MoP – Why should be wait for problems before we can report them?
• S – All of the service users are monitored closely with onsite staff and CCTV.  There is a whole support team on site to help monitor and look after them.
• MoP – If they are not detained and are free to come and go as they please, what is to stop them leaving and not coming back.
• HO – There are access points onsite to monitor who is on and off site.  The Service Users are able to leave to visit friends and family for up to 7 days.  If they do not come back after 7 days they are classed as not destitute and then they get passed to immigration control.
• MoP – What provisions are in place to keep the children, teachers and residents safe?
• S - There will be fencing around the site, 24/7 onsite security and CCTV.  The Service Users will all be given an induction when they arrive on how to be a good neighbour.
• MoP - What steps are being taken to stop them from scaling the fence?
• HO - Nothing but if they do, call the police.
• P – There is now a Scampton Community Team consisting of a Sergeant and 2 Police Officers.  They have recently visited Wethersfield and are in regular contact with Wethersfield Police.  These are in addition to the Lincolnshire Police Officers already covering the Scampton area. Wethersfield Police are finding that their Service Users do not want to leave the site.  They have approx. 230 on site, 30 of those have subsequently gone to live with friends and family, 2 had absconded but have since returned.  Scampton has changed from Response 44 which comes from Gainsborough to Response 41 which comes from Lincoln so any reports from Scampton should be attended quicker than previously.
• MoP – The security team walking around the site are continuously seen walking and watching their phones so they have no idea what is going on around them
• S – Will take this back in investigate.
• MoP – How many police are available and how long is response from Lincoln?
• P – 6pm there are usually around 9 after 6pm there are around 15 but there are also armed response and police available from other local areas.  A call coming in from Scampton will go to Response 41, unless there is someone else available nearer the area.  80% of urgent calls are attended on time.  There is now also the Scampton Community Team currently with 3 members but if necessary, this could increase.  The police are working closely with WLDC, LCC, EMAS & Lincolnshire Resilience Forum and have put together lots of scenarios.  Lincolnshire, as a county has one of the best continuity plans and these are regularly tested.
• MoP – How is the site set up to cater for all of the different religious groups?
• HO - There will be multifaith rooms for everyone but there will be no call to prayer.
• S – There will be lots of different religions and cultures but they will not be segregated into groups.
• MoP – How many in total are coming?
• HO – The ministerial quota is 2000.
• MoP – There are many military service personnel and veterans living in private houses.  What action has been taken to protect them?
• HO – The Service Users will be told that there are active military personnel living on site.
• MoP – Will you bring the ministers including Suealla Braverman and Robert Jenerick to the next community event?
• HO – They will be invited.
• MoP – Please rethink your stance around the nursery.  They are a sitting duck.
• HO – We have visited the nursey.
• MoP – Is there a number that we can call to report any issues?
• S – We are unable to issue the number to the public but it will be passed on to the school.
• MoP – Why are they not being told to stay away from the site altogether?
• HO – They will be told but they have no legal power to stop them.
• P – If the same people are persistently hanging around then they will be asked to move on.
• MoP – Will there be an interpreter onsite for all of the nationalities?
• S – No.  Language Links is a 24/7 service to have a 3-way conversation over the phone.
• MoP – How are you supporting the teachers and nursey staff for safeguarding referrals?
• HO – Any issues should be brought up at the ongoing MAF meetings.
• MoP - When the children are walking to and from school or the bus stop and there is a group of asylum seekers there, what are they to do?
• HO – We can not pre-empt that the Service Users are going to do something, it’s just an unknown.
• MoP – What is the end game? What state will the site be left in and how for how long?
• HO – We are currently renewing & renovating some of the building for the Service Users to accommodate so will leave a legacy when they finally pull out.  Unsure at the moment how long the site will be active for.
• MoP – What about the runway?
• HO – There are no plans to use the runway at all.  One of the main reasons the MOD left the site was due to the costs in maintaining the runway.  No plans for the HO to maintain it.
• MoP – Have you spoken to Scampton Holdings?
• HO – Ministers are willing to talk to the investors.
• MoP – In no circumstances in a village would a sudden influx of 2000 people be acceptable to anyone?
• HO – No response.
• MoP – Why are the contractors still working when there are 2 stop notices in place from WLDC.
• HO – We are unable to comment on legal matters.
• MoP – Why do you not seem to acknowledge the importance of the school and nursery being so close to the site?
• HO – No response.
• MoP – What is the ratio of staff?
• S – The model for this still needs to be agreed with the HO.
• MoP – How many roaming staff will there be?
• S – There will be 10 security officers during the day and at night.  This will increase as the numbers increase.
• MoP – Where will the CCTV be?
• S – There will be fixed CCTV around the portacabins and roaming CCTV around the rest of the site and this will be monitored 24/7.
• MoP – What is the shift pattern for the 3 new police?
• P – Unsure yet but expected to be mainly day/evening shifts.
• MoP – What is the go live date?
• HO – Unsure at the moment.