Home Office Meeting Notes

Notes from Home Office Comms Group Meeting – 27th July 2023 @ 3pm

• HO advised that there was lot more effort required than expected due to numerous letters from MP’s, members of the public etc. Due to this the team will be bolstered up.
• HO advised that the migrants will now not arrive before the end of September.  This is due to the transfer of the site from DIO to HO has not yet taken place.  This is due to happen w/e 04.08.23  Once the transfer has taken place, the HO will then instruct intrusive surveys to be completed.  Ho are confident that once the surveys have happened, SERCO will get the works needed completed in 6 weeks.
• WLDC asked when the factsheet would next be updated?  HO have committed to update the factsheet and will write to all stakeholders with a date as to when this will happen.
• *STEVE* asked why there was such a long delay to bring the migrants in?  HO responded with they are waiting for the appropriate people to be on site to take control, Gas/Electric managers etc.  They then have to wait for the intrusive surveys to take place and work to be completed on the 14/57 buildings that they are planning to use before the users are moved in.
• SPC asked if getting 14 buildings signed off within 2 months was do-able.  The HO confirmed that their contractors are confident it can be done within the timescales quoted.
• SPC then asked what would happen to the remaining buildings?  HO advised that the other buildings would be made wind and weatherproof but would not be in use.  SERCO will have an operational site plan to ensure that all of the unused buildings are kept safe and secure.  They will be fenced off and signposted in many different languages that they are not in use.  The HO also confirmed that they will look after all of the assets.
• HO introduced the new Media Lead who would be attending all future meetings.  The Media Lead is also an Asylum Comms Lead and leads the Accommodation Team and are currently working through the backlog of cases.
• WLDC asked the HO how they are planning to communicate?  The HO replied that they are still working towards some form of engagement meeting and that Sir Edward Leigh has asked to be present at.  The meeting would be to share information and also a Q&A session.  They advised that they are still waiting on details on this as to whether it will be an online meeting or face to face.  They also stated that the factsheet would be produced in a hard copy and also a fortnightly/monthly newsletter and that these would be available alongside the community meeting.
• LCC asked when we can expect any of the above?  The HO replied that some comms were issued when the site were announced.  SPC noted that there have been no reasonable comms issued from the HO for either Scampton or Wethersfield. 
• The HO confirmed that they were committing to regular meetings and to reduce the number being cancelled at the last minute.  They will differentiate between the different roles of the members of the meeting.  They acknowledged that they had not met the expectations of the members of the meeting but that going forward they wanted build better relationships.
• WLDC advised the HO that a comms plan was agreed and in place and that activity from this plan was due to start in June.  Stakeholder information has been passed to the HO but nothing has been distributed back out.  It is imperative that the HO organise an engagement meeting.  The HO apologised for the out of date comms plan and assured the members of the meeting that an updated comms plan would be issued by w/e 04.08.2023
• HO requested that any feedback that has previously been sent in be sent again in order to update the comms plan.
• SPC reported that to date nothing has been communicated to the residents and also that it was frustrating that senior members of the HO team leave the meetings half way through despite all of the other stakeholders taking time out of their day to join in.  The HO reiterated that they were trying to sort an engagement meeting with the residents.
• WLDC requested that a more user friendly landing page is created including a contact form for users.  The HO agreed to try and look into this possibility.
• WLDC asked if it was possible to indicate on the factsheet what had been updated.  The HO advised that they will try and include this message on the factsheets.
• HO advised that they would be holding a community meeting first and then a meeting with the local PC’s.  SPC replied that we had been waiting since April for this to happen.  SPC were asked by Sir Edward Leigh to sort the community meeting out but SPC have decided that they will not be hosting this meeting.  It must be a HO lead meeting. 
• SPC also advised the attendees that they are trying to plan a meeting for all of the local PC’s along with 2/3 HO attendees for mid-August, but this was not a full community meeting. 
• SPC requested that the HO community meeting must be a face to face meeting and must include a representative from all affected services, NHS, police, fire etc.  The HO advised that the issue with a face to face meeting is security and this is the reason why it has taken so long to try and organise a community meeting but they are trying to push for this to happen.  They do not want this meeting to turn into another shouting meeting like the previous community meeting.  SPC replied that the meeting was heated but was not a shouting match!
• WLDC commented that  the need for a meeting was discussed months ago and therefore the HO have had ample time to organise this for the community.  WLDC had to organise a similar meeting at very short notice and this was done without any problems.  It was also noted that the HO have access to security contractors, namely SERCO who could organise this and that there are numerous ticket options available.  The HO agreed to try and move this along.