Council opposes plans to house asylum seekers in two HMOs

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

Proposals to house asylum seekers in two HMO properties in north Wales have been opposed by the local authority, which has raised concerns with the Home Office.

Conwy County Council confirmed this week that it had been consulted on the proposals and had advised the Home Office that it did not support them.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the Home Office is looking to accommodate 12 asylum seekers in two “HMO-type properties” in the Gogarth Mostyn ward of the resort.

The authority said its role was to assess the suitability of accommodation and provide evidence-based advice on local circumstances, community impacts, and the wellbeing of residents and potential occupants.

Councillors said they were warned against talking publicly about the issue – or face breaking their code of conduct.
Llandudno Conservative councillor Harry Saville said councillors had been consulted on a confidential basis and asked to provide feedback to the council.

“I have seen the recent media coverage of the UK Government’s decision to place asylum seekers in Llandudno,” he said.

“This decision has been made by the Home Office. Conwy County Borough Council was consulted and as a local councillor I was asked for my feedback, along with other local councillors. Councillors were consulted with on a confidential basis and advised that breaching this confidentiality may constitute a breach of our code of conduct.

“I highlighted concerns about current problems in the town centre involving antisocial behaviour as well as the negative impact on Llandudno’s Holiday Accommodation Zone. The Holiday Accommodation Zone is an identified part of the town where additional planning controls are put in place with a view to supporting clusters of hospitality businesses and supporting our local tourism economy.

“The Council previously had a policy of trying to avoid making temporary housing placements in the Holiday Accommodation Zone – I see no reason why the Home Office shouldn’t share this consideration.”

He added: “I received feedback from a number of residents regarding proposals to house asylum seekers in Llandudno last year – these proposals weren’t progressed at the time. Most of the residents who contacted me at the time said that whilst they understood small placements of families with children, they were against the placement of adults who have entered the UK outside of the normal legal channels. I shared this feedback with the Council.”

Cllr Saville went onto explain that he believed a policy change in recent years could enable HMOs to be used.

“The Local Democracy Reporting Service has noted that it understands that these placements are in HMOs,” he said.

“The Council previously had a local planning policy prohibiting new HMOs from being established. This was contentiously repealed by the Council’s Labour/Plaid Cymru/independent leadership in 2023, and the policy might have provided an opportunity to challenge this decision. The Conservatives were the only party to oppose this decision at the time, with the Council’s Deputy Leader claiming that these properties would accommodate ‘young professionals’.”

Gogarth Mostyn Reform councillor Gareth Probert said: “This is completely wrong for Llandudno. Residents are already dealing with anti-social behaviour issues in parts of the town, and many people – especially women and children – will be deeply concerned about the arrival of twelve migrants that we know nothing about.

“HMOs are not an appropriate solution to the asylum accommodation crisis; they are a sticking plaster approach to a problem that should have been addressed years ago by UK Government.”

He added: “Local people will rightly question the fairness of the situation. When we have residents that are being housed in temporary accommodation or who are on waiting lists, struggling to access social housing, they will see asylum seekers being housed immediately. Whether these properties are part of the social housing stock or not, residents of Llandudno will feel they are being treated as a lower priority.”

Tudno councillor Alan Davies, also of Reform, added: “Once again, local communities are being expected to deal with the consequences of national policy decisions with no consultation or regard for local concerns.

“We believe this proposal is wrong for residents and are making the strongest representations possible against this proposal. The Home Office should think again.”

A Conwy County Council spokeswoman said this week the authority is “committed to providing support to people seeking sanctuary who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, violence, or humanitarian crises”.

The council confirmed the Home Office had consulted the authority on a proposal to accommodate asylum seekers in the Llandudno area but said the “council has advised the Home Office that it does not support this proposal”.

A Home Office spokeswoman said they were working “to fairly house asylum seekers across the country and will close every asylum hotel by the end of this Parliament”.

She added: “Instead, we are moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation to reduce impact on local communities.

“As part of this work, we will engage with local authorities and police forces to minimise the impact on surrounding areas.”

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