Petition Urges Review of Tillingham Asylum Housing Plan on Change.org

A Change.org petition launched in November 2026 asks the Home Office to review a plan to accommodate up to six asylum seekers in a Tillingham property before anyone moves in. Residents and prospective occupants are directly affected by the proposal.

The Tillingham asylum housing plan concerns one property. A department spokesperson has defended the wider shift to alternative accommodation, saying local authorities and police will be engaged and that the government intends to close every asylum hotel by the end of the current Parliament.

The department chose one property, while the council cannot veto the plan

The department notified Maldon District Council that it had approved procurement of a Tillingham property through the National Asylum Dispersal Programme. The accommodation would house up to six people. Clearsprings Ready Homes is the provider involved in consultation.

Council officers raised concerns during consultation about the village’s isolation, transport, limited services and prospects for integration. Council leader Simon Morgan said the department decides which properties are used. The council can make representations, but it cannot accept or reject a proposal.

Morgan wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood seeking more information. He also raised the issue with Maldon MP Sir John Whittingdale, Witham MP Dame Priti Patel and Essex Police chief constable Rachel Nolan. The council says it will monitor the situation.

Petitioners want evidence and a review before anyone moves in

The petition asks the department to pause occupation while it reviews whether the location is suitable. Its supporters say Tillingham’s rural setting and limited access to services require closer examination. Those are the petitioners’ arguments, not a department finding.

They want written evidence addressing:

• Access to transport, healthcare, emergency services and safeguarding arrangements.
• Whether planning, housing, licensing, occupancy and fire safety requirements are met.
• How local objections were considered and why the property was selected.
• How identified risks would be managed and what responsibilities the accommodation provider holds.
• How Maldon District Council, Tillingham Parish Council, Essex Police, local representatives and residents will be engaged.

The petition also calls for a reasoned response before implementation and for relevant suitability assessments to be disclosed, subject to lawful confidentiality requirements. It says the requested review concerns the location and decision-making process, and “is not directed against individuals seeking asylum.”

Supporters cite concerns about rural isolation, transport and access to healthcare and other services. They also ask for information about ambulance access, policing, medical emergencies and safeguarding. The petition says the district councillor has publicly stated that he has not received a risk assessment or safeguarding plan for the property.

Local leaders and MPs have asked the department to reconsider

Morgan has raised transport and service access and asked for further details. In a letter to the Home Secretary, he described the property as “not an appropriate location in which to place them.” He has also said “whilst the Council can make representations, it cannot approve or reject proposals.”

Whittingdale asked the Home Secretary to reverse the decision. He called it “fundamentally mistaken and against the interests of both local residents and those being placed there.” He described Tillingham as a village of about 1,200 residents on the Dengie Peninsula, with few facilities and limited bus services. Maldon is 14 miles away, he said.

Whittingdale also raised concerns about the visibility of six new arrivals and cited tensions around asylum accommodation elsewhere in Essex that he said had led to protest and disorder. Patel said, “This is clearly unacceptable and in an inappropriate location for asylum accommodation.” She supports the council’s request for a review.

Ward councillor Matthew Neall separately urged the Home Secretary to reverse the decision. He said, “Tillingham is the wrong place for this accommodation, for the people who would live there and for the village.” Neall also requested a meeting with the Home Secretary or a department minister. Morgan thanked Neall and Cllr Stamp for making separate representations.

The department says it is shifting asylum seekers to other accommodation

A spokesperson described the wider approach as moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites, to reduce effects on local communities. The spokesperson said: “As part of this work, we will engage with local authorities and police forces to minimise the impact on surrounding areas”.

The department also said it intends to close every asylum hotel by the end of the current Parliament, linking the policy to a move away from hotel accommodation. The statement set out its broader approach; it did not address the Tillingham petition’s specific requests.

No next decision date is given in the material. There is no timetable for occupation either. Residents, prospective occupants and petition supporters are waiting for the department’s decision on whether it will review the Tillingham proposal.