Council confirms Home Office plans to accommodate asylum seekers in Llanelli hotel
Carmarthenshire County Council says it has received written confirmation from the Home Office of their plan to accommodate asylum seekers at the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli from July 3.
Within the plan provided by the Home Office, which has been sent to Hywel Dda Health Board, Dyfed Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire, a maximum of 207 people, made up of family groups, will be accommodated across 77 rooms.
The local authority says it remains firmly against the change of use of the hotel and continues “to explore the legal position in regards to this proposal”.
Darren Price Leader of the council said: “I am outraged that this proposal by the Home Office to concentrate a large number of asylum seekers is going ahead.
“Even at this stage I call on the hotel owners, Sterling Woodrow, to reconsider their position and stop this from progressing.”
Sustainable
In a statement issued last week, the local authority said: “Carmarthenshire County Council [has] fully supported and successfully delivered the dispersed model currently used to re-settle Syrian, Afghan, Ukrainian and general asylum seekers in recent years.
“The dispersed model of accommodation provision is more sustainable in offering a longer-term solution for asylum seekers, especially in a county such as Carmarthenshire.
“The council believe that the model of accommodating large numbers of asylum seekers in one concentrated site has the potential to totally undermine the dispersed scheme and is not the appropriate way to accommodate people who are seeking asylum.
“Whilst the council has not had sight of what it assumes is a detailed proposal, the engagement with the Home Office has to date been inconsistent and has disregarded all of their well-founded concerns.
“The proposal and engagement by Clearsprings (the Home Office private housing provider) has been disappointing, giving the council no confidence that they understand the local or national context they intend to work within.
“The council and its public sector partners will continue to liaise with the Home Office on this matter with the view to strongly recommend not to proceed with this proposal, however continue with the commitment to deliver the dispersed model.”
Dame Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli said: “This is hugely concerning, and I will continue to oppose any such proposal very vigorously, making clear the very strong opposition from local people.”
Last weekend local residents met to discuss the plans for the change of use of the four star hotel and to discuss forming an action committee to oppose the proposals.
The hotel’s owners have declined to comment on the proposals.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
We are Nation of sanctuary. This is the least we can do. We need to open up more hotels in Cardiff for this purpose,
The Labour MP for the area clearly isn’t as signed up to the Nation of sanctuary idea as one might expect from someone in her party. Do I detect the whiff of nimbyist hypocrisy?
While our people live in poverty! Charming.
The local authority will wait in vain for anything like a “detailed proposal” from the current UK Government. I agree with its stand on this: the dispersed model is the better way to provide for asylem seekers and migrants.
Go back to the 40’s, German and Italian PoW’s, as the war went on were slowly in stages allowed to work on the land and fraternise with the locals until it was time to go home. Many Italians stayed, I knew a couple in Powys during the 70’s, local tradesmen with families by then. There were many Polish persons too, some even ex prisoners of war, take Ynys Mon for example, PoW’s could work on the home farms of various landed estates, helping to feed the population until our own lads got back and into civvies… There are templates that… Read more »
The Modi Operandi of Braverman will see a fleet of buses turn up in the middle of the night and drop them off in the hotel car park and drive off…
Cofiwch Penally
Wales can and should have her own asylum arrangements and not have to put up with these Putinesque impositions by England
How many of these people want to live in Wales under our visa system which is time and purpose specific with a full citizen ship option available
Refugees should be welcomed here. We should be asking what more can we do?