Beckingham Rangers Training Camp be one of eight MOD training camps supporting the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for Afghan refugees
Plans have been revealed for a new site in a village near Newark to house Afghans who are fleeing from conflict.
The new site is set to open early next month at the Beckingham Rangers Training Camp to support the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which will house 200 Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan and their partner, dependent children, and additional family members who are deemed eligible by the Ministry of Defence.
Beckingham will be one of one of eight MOD training camps across the UK serving as a Reception, Staging and Onward Movement (RSOM) site.
These sites are the refugees’ first port of call when they arrive in the UK, where the families will stay for around six to eight weeks to be medically checked over, registered with the Department for Work and Pensions, and take classes on English language and UK culture.
The second stage is to move to Transitional Service Family Accommodation (TSFA) in one of eight locations across the country.
During this time, they continue their education and integration while the Home Office aligns Settled Accommodation for them, which lasts for three years and could be anywhere in the country, to give the families time to find private rented accommodation.
County councillor Marianne Overton, ward member for Bassingham and Welbourn which covers Beckingham, said that when the scheme was first mooted for the site, she had pointed out that the village of Beckingham does not have the facilities, such as a shop, school, or medical centre, to be able to host such a facility.
“But I was assured that the site would have its own health facilities and school,” she said.
“The key message to stress is that these people are not asylum seekers or refugees, but people who helped the UK military in Afghanistan and were promised safety.”
Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham and Shadow Under Secretary for Health and Social care confirmed the plans during Prime Minister’s Questions last week, and said that she will be meeting with the relevant Minister soon to discuss the provisions at Beckingham Camp.
She said during PMQs: “This fairly isolated site, consisting of Nissan huts, is normally used by cadets and personnel practicing on the ranges. How long will the individual families be expected to stay in these Nissan huts?
“What money will be given to local authorities to ensure that people can be properly cared for while they are there?
“And how long does the Minister anticipate this temporary centre being open before it is returned to military use?”
Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, confirmed that the camp would only be used on a temporary basis, and that the Government would be working with local authorities to “ensure the correct level of funding is provided to support former Afghan personnel and their families while they are temporarily housed there”.
“It’s also important to note that the feedback from the other locations that many communities welcome those people who are living in those areas and want to support them and say thank you for the work they did in support of our troops.”
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the accommodation at Beckingham Camp is a mixture of brick buildings and Nissan Huts.
“All have been thoroughly checked prior to occupation and all accommodation buildings are insulated, furnished, and provided with appropriate heating to ensure suitability for winter occupation,” a spokesman said.
“Beckingham will act as a reception site, where individuals are intended to be accommodated on a temporary basis before they are moved into transitional housing or settled accommodation at the earliest opportunity.
Beckingham Parish Council has arranged a public meeting in the village hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday (November 6) where Lieutenant Colonel D R Connolly of the MoD will provide details of the ARAP at Beckingham Camp and answer questions.
The council will then discuss the plans at its next meeting on November 20.