Groups of up to 55 asylum seekers will start arriving at a hotel on the outskirts of Llanelli from July 10, the leader of Carmarthenshire Council said. Cllr Darren Price said the Stradey Park Hotel and Spa will house a total of 241 asylum seekers, and that their demographic make-up won't be known until 24 hours before their arrival.
The proposed use of the popular four-star hotel in Furnace by the Home Office has caused consternation locally, with residents and councillors decrying what they say has been a lack of engagement and information from the Home Office, which is behind the plan, and the venue's Essex-based owners Sterling Woodrow. The Home Office said it was trying to cut its £6 million per day asylum seeker hotel bill by accommodating larger groups in individual locations.
Addressing a meeting of full council, Cllr Price said he felt it was "disgraceful" for the Home Office to push on with its "unwise move". The proposed use of the hotel was, he said, "completely inappropriate". The Plaid Cymru leader claimed the Conservative Government "has lost complete control" of the asylum seeker situation, with more than 160,000 applications waiting to be dealt with.
