Union accuses Home Office of creating ‘hostile environment for asylum seekers’ in Llanelli hotel row

Branch Secretary of Union’s Carmarthenshire branch, Mark Evans has released a statement where he criticised both the Home Office and hotel owners Sterling Woodrow for proposals to house asylum seekers at Stradey Park Hotel, saying the “government wants to create a hostile environment for asylum seekers in Llanelli and elsewhere”.

Mr Evans said: “The rushed and secretive home office plan to house 207 asylum seekers in Stradey Park Hotel’s 77 rooms by July the 3rd without consultation with the local community and with Carmarthenshire County Council and Hywel Dda Health board and other public bodies only receiving the plans at the last minute has inevitably resulted in opposition to the plans not just by the community but by the council.

“Around four hundred people attended a meeting in the Selwyn Samuel Centre where the Furnace Action Committee was set up to oppose the plans.

“Carmarthenshire County Council has accepted asylum seekers and their policy has been to locate them across the wider community in Carmarthenshire. Putting up to 207 asylum seekers in a hotel in Furnace, Llanelli will put significant pressure on council and health services locally.”

Mr Evans added: “Local residents concern of how local services will cope are justified in this regard as is the impact this could have on them and their families. Also we understand that staff working at the hotel have already been dismissed to make way for Home Office staff due to the decision of the owners of Sterling Woodrow to work with the home office in housing asylum seekers and this could have a knock on effect of further jobs going in local companies supplying the hotel etc .

“This is hardly creating a welcoming environment for asylum seekers.

Mr Evans expressed concerns that far right extremists were taking advantage of tensions in Llanelli.

He said: “Feeding off local people’s concerns the far right have joined the protests outside the hotel with the sole intention of whipping up racism and opposition to asylum seekers wherever they are housed.

“It is not the fault of asylum seekers where they are placed or the consequences of this as they need to be housed in appropriate accommodation. How will 207 asylum seekers fit into seventy-seven rooms?

“It is the decision of the hotel owners that has resulted in people losing their jobs and it begs the question if the hotel was a going concern how much are the hotel owners being paid by the home office?

“The council has a strategy to house asylum seekers across the wider community why doesn’t the government fund the council to do this? 

“Many asylum seekers have suffered trauma and face difficulties such as emotional and mental health problems and have to endure discrimination and racism. The Home Office and the far right are attempting to create a hostile atmosphere for those that have suffered too much already.

“We oppose the far right trying to whip up racism about this issue, but we understand the well founded concerns of the community of how will services locally cope.”

The Stradey Park Hotel row stepped up a gear yesterday (6 June) with the arrival of large quantities of block stone boulders to partially obstruct the main entrance to the hotel.

It is not clear who has ordered the block stone barrier and there is widespread local speculation that the access gap could be sealed off at any stage.

The Home Office has refused to comment on the proposals at Stradey Park Hotel, however it did release a statement saying: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

“We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6 million a day.

“The Home Office is committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and limit the burden on the taxpayer.”  

(Lead image: Stradey Park Hotel)