Guidance

Large sites for asylum accommodation: support for police forces

Published 16 June 2023

Background

The Home Office is working to secure large sites and vessels (‘pathfinders’) to house asylum seekers in line with legal obligations. The sites would provide a more suitable and cost-effective option than the hotel accommodation currently in use. The proposed sites are situated throughout the country.

The safety and security of the sites, the asylum seekers and local communities are of the utmost importance. We aim to make the sites as self-sufficient as possible, thus minimising the impact on local communities and services. This would include 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols.

However, we recognise that these sites are the first of their kind and that with their geographical locations, the proposals may place additional demands on the police forces concerned. This may justify additional funding. This document sets out a policy and guidance to support requests. The process will be managed separately to the normal route for extraordinary funding (Police Special Grant). This document sets out this process and guidance.

This process and guidance will be piloted from 1 June 2023 and reviewed in line with feedback and need within six months of implementation.

Guidance

As with the special grants guidance, police forces should include within their policing and budget plans reasonable contingencies for unexpected events within their areas. However, it is recognised that the proposed establishment of large sites and vessels (‘pathfinders’) accommodating non-detained asylum seekers (see paragraph 1.4 for sites in scope) may lead to additional pressures on police forces responsible for the areas in which they are situated. The Home Office is keen to support forces to manage the potential impacts of the sites on business-as-usual demand.

The guidance below outlines the process for applying for additional support.

1.1 The Home Office will only consider an application from the relevant Police and Crime Commissioner or Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The force is not able to make an application of its own volition. Requests should be sent to the Asylum Accommodation programme via asylumpolicegrant@homeoffice.gov.uk. Queries should also be directed to this address in the first instance.

1.2. The Home Office reserves the right to refuse a grant application, and there should be no presumption that financial assistance will be available.

1.3. The application for support should only include additional costs that can be reasonably assessed to derive from the proposals to situate large sites or vessels (‘pathfinders’) to accommodate asylum-seekers in the region for which the force is responsible. In general, these would include those necessary to pay staff or officers overtime, mutual aid and rest day working costs (including backfill if covered through overtime or mutual aid), but may also include premises, vehicle or equipment hire costs. The funding does not cover opportunity costs: for example, the cost of an officer engaged in policing the operation as part of their normal duty should not be included in the application. Similarly overheads such as use of buildings will be an opportunity cost if the premise is already owned or controlled by the police force, but could be included if a new building or premise is operationally necessary. A clear rationale must be presented for all costs.

1.4 The applications should only pertain to large sites and vessels for non-detained asylum-seekers announced on or after 29 March 2023 (‘pathfinders’). The applications should not be made for policing concerned with asylum-seekers accommodated in hotels or detained accommodation.

1.5 In applying for a grant under this policy the PCC/PFCC should refer to the criteria document at Annex A, which was prepared in conjunction with HMICFRS. The grant criteria document sets out information that a PCC/PFCC should include in their application. They should attach all relevant documentation that supports their application in order for their bid to be properly assessed.

1.6 The Home Office will make an agreement in principle, subject to review by HMICFRS after the commencement of operations. HMICFRS will conduct an independent review of the application to assess the scale of operations, risks and threats, and whether the costs are reasonable and proportionate and demonstrate value for money principles. This process may to involve a visit to the relevant force and could result in additional information being requested in order to fully assess the application. They will then provide the Home Office with a report outlining their conclusions and recommendations. HMICFRS’s terms of reference are included at Annex B.

1.7 Home Office officials will provide advice to ministers who will take the final decision. The PCC/PFCC is then informed in due course of the outcome of their application.

1.8 In cases where the grant is approved forces will be required to demonstrate that their financial governance arrangements, for managing the expenditure, meet the principles of managing public money^{[footnote 1]}.

1.9 Awards will be made quarterly in arrears and subject to annual review. Forces must therefore ensure appropriate governance to track and monitor costs directly associated with large sites and vessels (‘pathfinders’). Forces may revise bids the Home Office’s initial agreement to reflect actual costs, and are expected to do so at least annually.

Threshold criteria

2.1 Based on past needs for forces managing the areas around equivalent sites, the Home Office does not expect to set a minimum cost threshold to qualify for grant funding in the way that it does to qualify for Special Grant. Forces should note that it is not expected the claims would meet the Special Grant threshold. The department will consider all reasonable estimated costs, itemised and evidenced.

Annex A: grant criteria

Introduction

It is recognised that there may be new demands on police capability and capacity deriving from the impact of proposals to situate new large sites or vessels (‘pathfinders’) to accommodate asylum-seekers in a force’s area and that funding may be required to cover this additionality. It is not envisaged that this additionality would meet the thresholds for special grant funding but some of the considerations may be similar.

There should be no presumption that financial assistance will be available but the Home Office will consider requests for funding to help meet costs where necessary, additional expenditure incurred would otherwise create a serious threat to the force’s financial stability, their capacity to deliver normal policing, and to the safety of the local community and the staff and service users of the proposed sites.

Principles

• Requests should be for additional operational costs that can reasonably be said to derive from the proposed siting of the large site or vessel (‘pathfinder’) to accommodate asylum-seekers.
• They should not be for ongoing costs or additional establishment and infrastructure.
• The Home Office will also consider:
  • proportionality
  • affordability for the Asylum Accommodation Programme
  • financial sustainability and existing capacity and capability of the police force

Additional Considerations

• The Home Office currently proposes using the ‘pathfinder’ sites on a temporary basis so a consideration of no more than two to three years’ occupancy at present should frame your bid; and bids should be reviewed at least annually

• Consider the phases of the operation and whether the demand on police is likely to be the same through mobilisation of the site compared with when it is operational
• Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Home Office and HMICFRS and subject to formal ministerial approval
• In line with normal Government grant practices, approved grants will normally be paid quarterly in arrears, and normally no funding will be provided in advance of need.

What the bid should cover

Information and intelligence

This includes, for example:

• local intelligence (local environmental scanning, local community engagement, local Special Branch reporting, relevant individual networks)
• liaison with national inter-agency liaison officer partners

• social media

• other open source intelligence

• intelligence from partners and counterparts in forces who have experience of policing the impacts of equivalent proposals elsewhere in the country
• strategic intelligence (National Domestic Extremism Intelligence Unit, Home Office, All Sources Hub, National Community Tensions Team)

Threat assessment

This includes, for example:

• capability and intent of activists
• local risk assessments including the likelihood of risk and the harm its impact will cause
• operational risks (civil contingencies, event planning and local resilience fora)
• organisational risks (e.g. need for and capability of joint working with other blue light services)
• community risks (community impact)

Governance

Operational governance

Including relevant strategies, policies, and powers

Financial governance

This includes:

• information about governance arrangements including:
• details of the senior responsible officer for financial governance
• information about authority levels for approval of expenditure
• information about challenge processes in respect of costs and expenditure
• documentation that demonstrates financial governance, decision making and challenge.
• information about proposed expenditure, including:
• overall additional costs to the force for up to each of three years^{[footnote 2]}
• elements attributable to one-off implementation costs
• breakdown of the requirements
• If additional officers are requested, the number and whether full-time or whether demand is likely to be more weighted to specific periods in the lifetime of the site such as opening or closing

Annex B

HMICFRS terms of reference (which may be amended dependent on circumstances):

Purpose

To advise the Home Office on an application from [force] for funding to support additional policing requirements relating to the [large site / vessel] to accommodate asylum-seekers at [location].

HMICFRS will be required to review the resources deployed by [force] and provide an assessment. The advice should focus on whether these resources are both proportionate and reasonable, when considering the associated risks and threats.

Tasks

HMICFRS will engage with the relevant force to ascertain the risks and threats, and the level of resources deployed.

HMICFRS will provide a professional view on whether the use of resources is proportionate and reasonable, given the operational requirements.

HMICFRS will alert the Home Office if the resources deployed are, in their professional judgement, disproportionate and/or not commensurate with the operational requirements.

HMICFRS will consider whether the level of governance the force has in place is appropriate and advise the Home Office on whether value-for-money principles are being applied.

HMICFRS will provide advice in writing to the Home Office on the application once they have reviewed the information provided by the force.

1. See guidance on managing public money. ↩

2. Forecasts can be updated at any point during the life of the operation and are requested for financial planning purposes ↩