JUST one detention place in an immigration removal centre will cost taxpayers nearly £100,000 a year, The Sun can reveal.
The sum can be calculated after we previously revealed a £1billion Home Office offer for a contractor to run Heathrow’s migrant centre.
The detention centre which has sites in Harmondsworth and Colnbrook, west of London, houses up to 1,093.
There is a high turnover of inmates with 12,000 passing through the centre each year.
It is currently being run by private contractor Mitie, but a new deal is being offered for 2028 up until 2038.
Each place would cost the public purse £98,975 for every year of the deal, covering security, food, accommodation and any recreational activities for detainees.
READ MORE ON DEPORTATIONS
In comparison Ministry of Justice estimates show that running a prison place in the UK costs about £52,000 a year.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This is madness. We should come out of the ECHR and modern slavery treaty so illegal immigrants and foreign criminals can be rapidly, cheaply deported.”
The Sun has previously revealed details of how detainees in IRCs – which can include prisoners waiting to be deported and immigration offenders – are provided with art classes and IT lessons.
They are also entitled to maths tutors, in-house NHS treatment, and round-the-clock welfare support.
The Home Office was contacted for comment.
