For the 800 guests enjoying the luxury sports facilities, this place is unbeatable.
asserted
place → enjoy → facilities
As I saw for myself this week on a visit to the camp in Wethersfield, deep in the Essex countryside, residents want for practically nothing.
asserted
residents → see → nothing
There's a fully equipped gymnasium, a fitness room, a full-sized football pitch and a substantial indoor sports hall with all the equipment for five-a-side soccer, basketball and cricket – all free.
asserted
all → be → soccer
For those who want to kick back and take it easy, there are recreation rooms with televisions and pool tables, and a snack bar.
asserted
who → want → televisions
Mobile phones are provided for all, with generous allowances for free calls.
asserted
phones → provide → calls
The main restaurant, serving two dining halls, provides three meals a day with a wide choice of meals, including vegetarian options.
asserted
restaurant → serve → options
The only restriction is that all meat is halal – non-Muslims don't get a choice about that.
asserted
Muslims → get → that
Similarly, though the prayer rooms are described as a multi-faith area, most of the religious material is Islamic, with plenty of Korans and no Bibles.
asserted
most → describe → Korans
Prayer mats cover almost all the available floor space.
asserted
mats → cover → space
A squadron of free minibuses, 17 of them, are laid on three times a day, seven days a week – even on Christmas Day – to take the 800 camp residents into the nearby towns of Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester.
asserted
squadron → lay → Braintree
Peter Harris, a Reform UK councillor at Essex County Council, looked around the asylum centre 'holiday camp' in Wethersfield
So-called 'dispersal sites', mostly former military properties, are regarded as cheaper than the short-term solution of placing illegal migrants in hotels
Migrants arriving in Braintree by mini bus from RAF Wethersfield migrants camp last month
And how much does it cost to stay here?
asserted
it → look → much
Not only is everything free, but there's a tenner a week extra in every pocket... or, to be absolutely accurate, an allowance of £9.95 per person, to cover any incidental costs, loaded onto a prepaid debit card.
asserted
everything → be → card
And although it's free for the hundreds of 'happy campers', the bill for Britain is eye-watering.
asserted
bill → water → Britain
According to a National Audit Office report last year, asylum accommodation contracts are estimated to cost the taxpayer £15.3billion over the next ten years.
uncertain
contracts → accord → years
So-called 'dispersal sites', mostly former military properties, are regarded as cheaper than the short-term solution of placing illegal migrants in hotels.
asserted
sites → call → hotels
But the impact on surrounding communities is immense and the sheer unfairness of the financial burden is shocking.
asserted
unfairness → surround → burden
Not that all the illegal migrants here seem to appreciate it.
asserted
migrants → seem → it
The most frequent request posted in the suggestion boxes is not for educational resources, or even pleas for news of loved ones supposedly left behind in war zones and terror states.
asserted
request → post → zones
What irks them most, apparently, is the lack of a swimming pool.
asserted
lack → irk → pool
I've taken a look at the site from the outside but last week provided my first opportunity to go through the gates.
asserted
I → take → gates
I confess I was surprised at the Home Office's willingness to grant access to me and the council's deputy leader, Russell Quirk.
asserted
I → confes → me
We arrived at 9.30am and were greeted by a site manager employed by Clearwater, the firm that administers Wethersfield.
asserted
that → arrive → Wethersfield
It was made very clear that we were not allowed to take photographs, despite my request.
asserted
we → make → request
The accommodation is equipped with a gym
It also has an onsite healthcare centre
asserted
It → equip → centre
During the next three hours, we also did not speak with any of the residents, other than a nod and a hello in passing.
asserted
we → speak → passing
According to the Home Office, 445 contingency bed spaces 'can be brought into use to help manage short-term pressures across the wider asylum accommodation estate'.
uncertain
spaces → accord → estate
Yet during our tour I counted fewer than 150 residents.
asserted
I → count → residents
Some others, we were told, were in their rooms.
asserted
we → tell → rooms
But most were on day trips out of the camp, something that happens every day, with up to 300 men travelling into each nearby town.
asserted
men → happen → town
The last of the minibuses was leaving as we arrived.
asserted
we → leave → minibuses
We were repeatedly told that Wethersfield is not a prison.
asserted
Wethersfield → tell → ?
But this free access to the community is done, as far as I can see, with next to no consideration for the townsfolk and their safety.
asserted
I → do → townsfolk
I've spoken to many Essex people who tell me that, if they need to go into Colchester, Chelmsford or Braintree, they will get there as early as possible, to complete their shopping before the influx of men from Wethersfield from about 10am.
asserted
they → speak → am
Of the men I did see during my visit, the majority seemed to be on their phones.
asserted
majority → see → phones
But the gym was full, with most training with weights.
asserted
most → train → weights
One man, we were told, was a mixed martial arts athlete and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender, an expert in kickboxing, wrestling and jiu jitsu.
asserted
we → tell → kickboxing
We had a single security guard with us but they took little notice of us.
asserted
they → have → us
While we were walking around the site, a police officer came cycling up to introduce himself as the designated officer for Wethersfield.
asserted
officer → walk → Wethersfield
He spends approximately three or four hours a day there, Monday to Friday, with the remainder of his duty time covering the surrounding village.
We were also told another officer based at Braintree Police Station is available to deal with crimes recorded in connection with the site.
asserted
officer → spend → site
The bobby on the bike was personable, enthusiastic and obviously hard-working.
asserted
bobby → work → bike
…and 56 more, not listed.
The Aporia
