Britain spent at least £100m on unused Brexit posts — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, at least £100 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on border facilities created because of Brexit that never became operational or are used only to a very limited extent. As The Guardian reports, five of the seven inland border control posts in England and Wales did not become operational. The then Conservative government abandoned the introduction of all planned checks on goods from the EU.

Spending on unused sites

The Dover White Cliffs site near the village of Guston in Kent cost taxpayers £28 million, but the plot remains a field. The Department for Transport spent £21 million to acquire the site and a further £7 million on initial earthworks, including an archaeological survey.

£17 million was spent on a facility in Birmingham that was planned to be located in an airport car park: £11 million on construction and £6 million on closure. The site in Warrington cost £17 million, of which £7 million went on its purchase, £9 million on construction and £1 million on decommissioning. Another £10 million was spent on converting and closing the former Ebbsfleet International station car park, while £5 million was spent on a facility at North Weald airfield near Stansted.

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Two operating facilities

The main inland border facility in Sevington, 20 miles from Dover, remains operational. Its capital costs amounted to £154 million, including £30 million for the purchase of agricultural land and £70 million for construction. Operating costs for this facility reached £179 million.

A smaller post in Holyhead, through which freight from Ireland passes, is also operating. £14 million was spent on acquiring the site for it and £23 million on construction.

The Port of Portsmouth separately spent £23 million on a border control post, of which £17.1 million was provided by the government and around £6 million was covered by the city council. According to port director Mike Sellers, an average of two trailers per day are checked there instead of the expected 80. The port’s management and Portsmouth City Council are calling on the government to compensate the costs of facilities that may become redundant after the UK’s agreement with the EU enters into force.