Two local councils have won their bid to try and block new asylum centres from opening in their areas.

The Home Office announced plans earlier this year for RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and Wethersfield Airfield in Essex to be used to house people while they awaited for a decision on asylum applications.

But West Lindsey District Council, Braintree District Council, and a local Wethersfield resident were seeking permission from the High Court to launch legal challenges against the new sites opening.

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Today, the High Court ruled in their favour, allowing all three to bring their challenges, as two of their proposed 15 grounds for objection were valid.

Mrs Justice Thornton said: “The decision to accommodate asylum seekers on the sites may give rise to strong local opinion,” adding there may be wider questions around the welfare of the people housed there.

“Those are not, however, matters for the court,” she added.

Leader of Braintree District Council, Councillor Graham Butland, welcomed the decision, saying: “We are grateful to have had another opportunity to put our views and the views of our local community across to the High Court at this initial stage, as we still believe Wethersfield Airfield is not a suitable site for these plans.”

He said it would not stop asylum seekers being housed there in the meantime, but promised to work closely with the Home Office to ensure there was “minimal impact” on residents.

“We will also continue to push for regular, open and transparent engagement with the wider community, which to date we feel has been lacking and creating frustrations quite rightly for our residents and businesses who have been left with a void of information,” he added.

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The government has been trying to come up with alternative accommodation for asylum seekers after it said the number of people making small boat Channel crossings had led to a hotel bill of £6m a day to house those waiting for their claims to be processed.

As well as former military bases, there are plans to house people on barges, and also reports large marquees could be used.

Wethersfield Airfield will be able to accommodate up to 1,700 male asylum seekers for up to 180 days, while up to 1,500 will be able to be housed at RAF Scampton.

The first 50 asylum seekers were moved to Wethersfield on Wednesday.

But ministers have faced a backlash from local residents, councils and MPs who do not want the centres on their doorsteps, with multiple legal actions launched against the sites.

‘Serious issues’

Up until now those challenges have failed but after a two-day hearing, the High Court said the two councils and one resident, Gabriel Clarke-Holland – who lives 80ft from the gate of Wethersfield Airfield – could launch their bids to block the sites.

Alex Goodman KC, representing Mr Clarke-Holland, said members of the right-wing group Britain First had been protesting near his home when asylum seekers arrived at the base this week.

Lawyers for Braintree District Council also said the Home Office had failed to take a number of problems into account for the Wethersfield site, including access to healthcare and “serious issues” with “ageing” wastewater.

But Paul Brown KC, who represented the government department, said the three complaints failed to raise “any genuinely arguable point”.