According to Wales’ first minister, a contentious plan to put asylum seekers in a hotel is still confusing locals.
The Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, handled the matter in a way that, according to Mark Drakeford, “badly damaged” confidence.
He urged for the Home Office to be more transparent with the public the day after police detained two people at a protest at the location.
The Home Office claimed that it made efforts to guarantee that the arrangements for locals were secure.
On Monday night, some 250 people gathered outside the hotel for calm demonstrations in favor of and against the choice to shelter asylum seekers there.
Mr. Drakeford demanded that the UK government be “open with local public services and the local community about what is being planned” during a press conference today.
“It appears that there is still ambiguity regarding how events will play out over the next few days,” he continued.
“Llanelli’s sense of confidence has been severely shaken, and it will take some time for that confidence to be restored if asylum seekers are to be successfully housed at the hotel.”
The Home Office, he claimed, was saying “different things” to “different people,” giving Carmarthenshire council insufficient information, and not “attending to the interests of those nearly 100 people who work at the hotel.”
At the venue, 95 employees will be laid off altogether.
According to Mr. Drakeford, the Welsh government wants to see Wales “providing for our proper share of people who come legitimately to this country seeking asylum”.
He charged that the Home Office had failed to learn from its own mistakes, such as when asylum seekers were temporarily housed in a military camp at Penally despite local resistance.
The Home Office claimed that it attempted to make arrangements safe for hotel guests and community by involving councils as early as feasible.
It stated that the hotel owner and contractors will decide how many people to hire.
“We have been clear that using hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – at the moment, there are over 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels, costing the UK taxpayer £6 million per day,” the spokesman continued.
“The Home Office is committed to taking every step to minimize the tax burden and reduce hotel use.”
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