Angry leaders at Norfolk County Council have said they were not consulted about controversial government plans to house 1,200 asylum seekers on a military base just over the county border.
The Home Office is seeking planning permission to use RAF Barnham, about a mile from Thetford over the Suffolk border, to house the migrants while decisions are made on whether they are permitted to stay or deported.
But the plans have met opposition, with protests outside the base and high tensions in Thetford triggering a siege of a town council meeting.
Reform-led Norfolk County Council has now joined the condemnation, saying the government never contacted it about its plans, despite the proximity of RAF Barnham to the county.
County Hall's deputy leader Robin Hunter Clarke said: "We strongly condemn the government’s intention to house 1,200 illegal migrants at RAF Barnham, close to a quiet Norfolk village.
"We only found out about this from news reports.
"Neither this council nor our communities were consulted and we have real fears about the impact this could have on residents.
"We support our communities in opposing this plan and are pressing the Home Office to abandon it immediately."
The plans have sparked anger. On Tuesday, police were forced to block entrances to a Thetford Town Council meeting, as people tried to force their way in to vent their fury over the plans.
Only around 120 people were allowed in due to space restrictions, leaving larger numbers outside.
Seven police officers were deployed to maintain order and were required to step in several times to stop members of the public trying to force their way in.
Conservative-run Breckland District Council also discussed the proposals at a meeting on Thursday and agreed to oppose them.
West Suffolk Council also voted to formally raise their concerns with the Home Office after organising an urgent meeting.
The government has said using military bases like RAF Barnham to hold migrants while they are processed, has enabled it to close hotels which had been used to house asylum seekers.
That included the Brook Hotel in Bowthorpe, which was the focal point of a string of protests last summer.
Meanwhile, Suffolk police issued a statement to dismiss what it described as "unfounded rumours" that asylum seekers had already moved on to the base.
The constabulary said the government was still in discussions about the future of the site, which it and Norfolk police currently used for training.
The force said: "Some vehicles that may have been seen on site, such as buses, are used for training purposes.
"Any persons seen on the site are most likely to be police, Ministry of Defence employees or security personnel."
