A letter sent to Oxford City Council from the Home Office has defended the government plans to reopen a controversial detention centre.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper faced criticism after she announced plans to reopen Campsfield House in Kidlington earlier this year. 

The letter states that the government is increasing the number of detention centres “to support the higher pace of removals" and that they aim to "deter and tackle immigration abuse and protect the public and vulnerable individuals within the system”.

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This comes after Oxford City Council and Cherwell District Council recently voted in favour of motions against reopening Campsfield House.

Kidlington county councillor Ian Middleton, of the Green Party, said: "I and the Green Party are opposed to immigration detention centres like Campsfield because we see them as an inappropriate, cruel and inhumane way to treat innocent people who have come to our country seeking refuge.

“The letter seems to assume that centres like Campsfield are merely staging posts towards removal or repatriation.

"In reality the majority are likely to be given leave to remain, and if their asylum applications were handled quickly and efficiently, there would be less need for detention centres, not more.

“Many of those detained also have valuable skills and experience.

"If they were allowed to work while their applications are being considered, they could contribute to our society and economy whilst living normally in our communities, rather than being a burden on the public purse.

“The threat of renewed protests around the site and the negative public attention that will engender is likely to put at risk the inward investment that Labour says is a vital part of stabilising the economy."

(Image: Contributed)Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran has been campaigning against the plans to reopen the centre for years, and recently visited the site with fellow Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller. 

Speaking this week, Ms Moran said: “While I was glad to see the new government drop the Rwanda plan, it’s disappointing to see them push ahead with Campsfield.

“Spending hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on two detention centres that will house under 200 detainees will do nothing to stop the gangs. What the government should be doing is focusing on the sky-high asylum backlog and creating legal, safe routes.”

The letter also states that Campsfield House will house both timeserved Foreign National Offenders and immigration offenders awaiting removal from the UK.

Labour city councillor Susanna Pressel said: “It’s sad to hear that Campsfield House is going to be reopened, but at least it won’t be used for new asylum-seekers while they wait many months or even years to be assessed, as it was before.

(Image: Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)“I hope that it will be much better run and that people will be in there for only a short time.

"When the Labour government has sorted out the vast backlog left by the Tories, I hope it can be closed again.”

Campsfield House closed in early 2019. It originally opened in 1993 and closed following a significant protest at the site in 2017. 

The centre has been hit with riots and fires in the past, according to Ms Moran.