Council calls for devolution of asylum accommodation to Wales

A north Wales council has unanimously backed calls for responsibility for asylum accommodation to be devolved to the Senedd, following concerns over how the UK Government’s asylum dispersal policy is being implemented in the county.

The motion, approved by Wrexham councillors, criticises the current UK-wide system of asylum dispersal and supports giving the Senedd greater powers to oversee how asylum accommodation is planned and delivered in Wales.

The debate was prompted by proposals for two sites in Rhosllanerchrugog and Sydallt to be considered for asylum accommodation by the Home Office. The sites are being assessed through the Home Office’s private contractor Clearsprings Ready Homes, which manages asylum housing on behalf of the UK Government.

Councillors raised concerns about a lack of consultation with local communities and the council itself, warning that decisions taken without transparency risk undermining public confidence and community cohesion.

Plaid Cymru group leader Marc Jones said the current system was failing both communities and people seeking asylum. “The UK Government’s migration policy is a mess and is being delegated to a private company that is making millions on the back of this mess,” he said.

“We believe that Wales needs its own migration policy that can better reflect the needs of the communities we serve and enable refugees to integrate and be productive within those communities.”

Mr Jones said the absence of meaningful engagement had contributed to local tensions. “The way communities are being ignored by successive UK Governments, with little or no consultation or transparency, has caused unnecessary tensions to arise,” he said. “These genuine concerns are then stoked by elements of the far right who want to blame immigrants for the country’s problems.”

He added that the root causes lay elsewhere, pointing to “15 years of cuts and austerity, made worse by a cost-of-living crisis”.

Welcoming the unanimous vote, Mr Jones said it was significant that Wrexham Council had formally recognised a role for devolved Welsh institutions in shaping asylum accommodation policy. He said he hoped other local authorities in Wales would follow suit and press for greater Senedd involvement in decisions affecting their communities.