Welsh council “exploring” legal options to keep hotel from accommodating asylum seekers

Carmarthenshire County Council has said it is "exploring a range of legal routes", including planning considerations in order to thwart potential Home Office plans to accommodate asylum seekers at a local hotel.

The Welsh council said the decision to explore its legal options came after a meeting between the council leader, Cllr Darren Price, and a Home Office official on Tuesday (30 May) in which it became clear that Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, had greenlighted plans to pursue housing immigrants in Stradley Park Hotel, Llanelli.

According to the council, Cllr Price wrote to the hotel owners following the meeting, urging them to "provide an honest answer to the people of Llanelli as to whether they are in discussions with the Home Office regarding the potential use of the hotel to accommodate asylum seekers".

The Home Office's contractors, Clearsprings, plan to accommodate 207 asylum seekers in the hotel rooms and for a further 107 emergency provision in communal areas, according to the council.

But the council is "firmly against" the proposal and has reported that it is "exploring a range of legal routes, including planning, to persuade the Home Office and hotel owners of the unsuitable nature of the site for this purpose".

The council also said it had heard concerns from public sector partners regarding health services and had been advised that additional funding would be the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

Cllr Price said: "The Stradey Park Hotel plays an important role within our county as a venue that is often used by local people for events such as weddings, conferences and social events. It is also popular with tourists and visitors to Carmarthenshire. The hotel has enjoyed a significant amount of support from the local community over the years, it is only right, therefore, that they are honest with the local community."

He added: "As a local authority, we want to be able to work with the hotel to encourage and develop tourism and growth in the area. The experience of the past few weeks has left the local community feeling very disappointed, with wedding receptions being cancelled due to the uncertainty. It is having a very real impact on people's lives in the area.

"It is not fair on couples looking forward to their wedding day, it is not fair on the local community, and it is not fair on the staff at the hotel. The hotel owners have an opportunity to put a stop to all of this by telling the Home Office that they do not want to proceed, and I would urge them to do just that."

At least four councils have opposed the use of local hotels for housing asylum seekers by seeking injunctions on planning grounds, including Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Fenland District Council, Ipswich Borough Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Earlier this month, a High Court judge issued a final injunction order for blocking Home Office contractors from seeking to use any hotels to house asylum seekers within a key tourist district in Great Yarmouth.

Great Yarmouth had argued that placing asylum seekers in the hotels would undermine a policy in the council's local plan, which pledges to encourage tourism in the area.

Fenland, Ipswich, and East Riding of Yorkshire were unsuccessful in their injunction bids.

Adam Carey