Residents of the small North Yorkshire village of Linton-on-Ouse fear that plans to house up to 1,200 asylum seekers at the former RAF base could drive down house prices and lead to local people moving away.

Some have already put their homes on the market, despite the risk of losing up to 20% of their value, while some rental properties are sitting empty. Residents are also concerned about safety and believe that a village of around 700 people, with limited local services, is simply not equipped to cope with such a large influx of people.

The replacement of local communities with newcomers seems to be starting in small villages. Who would have thought that, instead of investing in the area and building more homes for local people, the Government would choose this approach? It feels deeply unfair to the people who already live here.