Campsfield House IRC, Kidlington

Campsfield House sits on the former Campsfield site at Kidlington, on the edge of Oxford. Originally a young offender institution, it operated as a male IRC under successive contracts (Group 4, GEO Group, Mitie) from 1993 to 2018 with a capacity of around 282. The site was the subject of repeated protests during its operational years^[1]GOV.UK.

ITV Meridian reported in 2025 that the Home Office had formally committed to reopening Campsfield with an expanded capacity, citing the need to support an enforced returns-led approach to small boats arrivals^[2]Broadcast. As of April 2026 the site is undergoing recommissioning works, with no confirmed reopening date in the public domain.

At an indicative IRC bed-day rate of £350, a fully utilised 400-bed Campsfield would represent an annual operating run-rate of around £51 million. Capital recommissioning costs are additional and have not been broken out publicly. The May 2025 NAO accommodation report tracked detention separately from the £1.296 billion hotel bill but flagged the policy direction toward more enforced returns capacity^[3]NAO.