We remain opposed to the proposed accommodation centre in Bicester because:

• We believe it will effectively be a detention centre and that the government’s decision to go ahead ignores the independent view of the inquiry inspector, residents and refugee groups.

• It is being introduced into the community without proper debate, consultation or explanation from the Government, in a national climate of hostility towards asylum seekers.

• It is an experiment that every organization concerned with the welfare of refugees has warned cannot work.

It now looks certain that this social experiment will go ahead, in spite of warnings from many experienced commentators. We intend:

• To continue trying to dispel the climate of hostility and fear that has been generated in the area and to promote the positive contributions of refugees to this country;

• To ensure that the government provides proper facilities and support for the asylum seekers in Bicester, in ways which will ensure their acceptance and integration into the local context;

• To work alongside local churches and other concerned groups and individuals to ensure that practical support and friendship is offered to the asylum seekers when they arrive;

To these ends we will:

• Demand that our MP and the local council work positively to counteract local anxieties about the Accommodation Centre. Also that they take responsibility for ensuring that the asylum seekers do not become victims of community hostility

• Continue to contribute to the planning process by highlighting our concerns about the support and facilities which will be made available to asylum seekers

• Provide a focus and a voice for the many residents in the local area who are not comfortable with the raw emotions and outbursts that have so far dominated the debates in Bicester