A county council leader has spoken out against plans to expand an asylum centre.
Councillor Peter Harris, leader of Essex County Council, delivered what he described as an "important" and "deeply concerning update" regarding the Weathersfield Asylum Centre in a video shared by the council on social media.
He claimed that the Home Office has submitted a planning application to Essex County Council under urgent Crown development rules to increase the centre’s capacity to 1,245 asylum seekers.
Mr Harris claimed the Government was using its powers to decide its own planning application without involving the public.
Within the video, Mr Harris said he is "100 per cent opposed" to the Weathersfield site, with concerns including a possible increase in the number of minibuses transporting asylum seekers daily to towns such as Braintree, Colchester, and Chelmsford.
Mr Harris said County Hall had already taken “decisive action” through Operation Vanguard to protect residents, particularly women and girls.
In the video, Mr Harris said: "My promise to residents is that we will look at every option to us to prevent Weathersfield’s expansion including potential legal action."
Mr Harris later said in a statement: "I remain firmly opposed to the expansion of the Wethersfield asylum accommodation site.
"The Home Office has submitted a planning application to increase the site to its full capacity of 1,245 people and I have requested urgent sight of this so we can fully understand the implications, including any potential increase to the number of minibuses travelling to and from the site.
"Wethersfield is the wrong facility in the wrong location and I have consistently raised concerns about its impact on local communities.
"We will carefully review the application and consider every option available to challenge any further expansion of the site and ensure the views of Essex residents are strongly represented."
The Weathersfield Asylum Centre is located at Weathersfield airfield, near Braintree.
Braintree Council leader Tom Cunningham also released a statement in regard to the centre where he claims the Home Office informed Braintree Council of bypassing local planning powers to extend the use.
He said: "The Home Office has informed us that it intends to bypass local planning powers for a third time and extend the use of the Wethersfield Asylum Centre beyond April 2027.
"At this stage, we do not know how long it plans to continue using this rural, isolated location for the UK's largest asylum accommodation centre.
"The council's position remains unchanged: using this setting for such a purpose is wholly unsuitable, and the site should close as soon as possible.
"This news is deeply disappointing, and the Home Office plans have totally ignored feedback from our communities who have to live with the impact of the asylum centre.
"We are urgently seeking further details about these plans and exploring all options available to us.
"In the meantime, we will continue to urge the Home Office to make the site as self-sustaining as possible and minimise the impact on local residents."
The Home Office provided a response to Essex County Council and Braintree Council's comments.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is working on a fairer distribution of asylum accommodation across the country, with over £1 billion saved in costs since the election.
"This includes closing all asylum hotels and moving to alternative accommodation, including former military sites.
"These are designed to be self-contained, with 24/7 security and CCTV, to reduce the impact on local communities.”
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