The protest is against the transportation of asylum seekers in and out of Chelmsford
Matt Lee Senior Multimedia Journalist
11:00, 27 Mar 2026
The protest will march up the High Street towards Shire Hall in Chelmsford(Image: Matt Lee/EssexLive)
Essex Police have confirmed they have an ‘appropriate policing plan’ ahead of a planned protest in Chelmsford this weekend. People are planning to protest in Essex city on Saturday (March 28) against buses transporting Wethersfield residents to and from Chelmsford.
The protest, organised by the Stop the Wethersfield Buses group, will see people march from near the skate park in Central Park towards Shire Hall, with speeches on the steps outside.
An online advert for the protest, which will run between 11am and 1pm, describes it as being “about public safety, transparency and accountability”.
An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We’re aware of a planned event in Chelmsford on 28 March. We have been in consistent contact with organisers and all partners, and we have an appropriate policing plan in place.”
A Home Office factsheet states that a shuttle bus service runs three times a day from Wethersfield to Braintree, Colchester, and Chelmsford. Transport is also provided where necessary to enable access to health services not available on site, and to assist asylum seekers who have been given the opportunity to volunteer within the local community.
Cllr Stephen Robinson (Lib. Dem.), leader of Chelmsford City Council, was asked about the bus services at a meeting last December. He said: “If you or anyone has evidence rather than speculation or heresy of crime or anti-social behaviour, I urge it be reported to Essex Police via their website for them to take appropriate action. Chelmsford City Council has a strong record on community safety. We work closely with partners to make Chelmsford a safe place to be.”
The former RAF base has been used as asylum seeker accommodation since July 2023 despite local opposition. Sir Keir Starmer previously told ITV during the 2024 election campaign that he would look to close the site.
“I do think [Wethersfield] needs to close,” said Sir Keir. “Obviously that’ll take time, because the problem that we’ve got at the moment is we’ve got tens of thousands of asylum seekers whose claims are not being processed. That is unsustainable.”
When pressed by ITV News Anglia on when it would close, Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to put an arbitrary date on it, but I do know how keenly this is felt locally and understandably so. I want to ensure that we actually deal with all of these cases rather than having increasing numbers of people in hotels paid for by the taxpayer.
“So I can absolutely understand why people are frustrated and angry with the government for the way this has been allowed to get completely out of hand.”
The asylum accommodation site at Wethersfield is based on the former MOD site located in Braintree. The site, which is managed by Clearsprings Ready Homes on behalf of the Home Office, accommodates single adult male asylum seekers between 18 and 65.