#asylum-accommodation — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #asylum-accommodation, aggregated by home.social.
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https://www.europesays.com/ie/563240/ Latest EU stats show fall in deportations, including in Ireland #AsylumAccommodation #AsylumSeekers #BreakingNews #BreakingNews #Deportations #FeaturedNews #FeaturedNews #Headlines #Ireland #LatestNews #LatestNews #MainNews #MainNews #Migration #News #TopStories #TopStories #World #WorldNews #WorldNews
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STRADEY PARK HOTEL: Llanelli landmark in hands of receivers as minister confirms it will not house asylum seekers
The empty Stradey Park Hotel will not be used to house asylum seekers, a Home Office minister has confirmed — as Llanelli‘s MP told the House of Commons the landmark has gone into receivership.
Dame Nia Griffith, Labour MP for Llanelli, raised the hotel’s future during Home Office questions in Parliament on Monday, sharing a clip of the exchange on Wednesday.
“With the news that the Stradey Park hotel has now gone into receivership, what assurances can the Minister give my constituents in Llanelli that his Department has no plans to use the premises for asylum seeker accommodation?” she asked.
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, replied: “I assure my honourable Friend and colleagues across the House that we are closing hotels, not opening them.”
Posting the clip afterwards, Ms Griffith said there was now “official confirmation” that the hotel will not house asylum seekers — and that the building is “currently in the hands of the receivers”, with updates on its future to be announced by them in due course.
Dame Nia Griffith MP speaking in Parliament
(Image: House of Commons)The Furnace hotel closed with immediate effect in early March, and weeks later HM Revenue and Customs filed a High Court winding-up petition against its operating company, Gryphon Leisure Limited, with other creditors backing the action.
Companies House records show Gryphon Leisure is still listed as an active company, with no winding-up order or liquidation recorded against it — suggesting the receivership relates to the hotel property itself, a step typically taken by a lender owed money against a building.
The company has been busy at Companies House in recent months: overdue accounts were filed in March, a compulsory strike-off action over late paperwork was discontinued in February, and last month its registered office moved from Hounslow to an address on Cowbridge Road East in Cardiff.
Investors who bought individual rooms in the hotel under its previous fundraising schemes are among those owed money — a group campaigners wrote to directly during the asylum row.
The receivership is the latest turn in a saga that began in summer 2023, when plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers at the hotel saw nearly 100 workers lose their jobs.
Months of protests followed at the Furnace site, with police making 17 arrests in the early weeks of demonstrations. The hotel’s owners later won a court injunction limiting the protests.
Carmarthenshire Council launched legal action against the hotel’s owners in a bid to block the plan. The council lost its case in the High Court, and later decided against an appeal.
The Home Office withdrew the plan in October 2023. The county’s police and crime commissioner said the department should be held accountable for the failed scheme.
The hotel’s owners later said they wanted to rehire staff and reopen, and the venue returned to trading — even being announced as a commercial partner of the Scarlets before shutting its doors without warning in March.
Last week, urban explorers filmed inside the closed hotel, finding the power on and beds still made, prompting a police warning to stay out of the building.
Local representatives — including Hengoed councillors Martyn Palfreman and Ed Skinner, Elli ward councillor Steve Williams and Ms Griffith — have been working to address security concerns at the site, arranging fencing through the county council and making contact with the receiver.
Ms Griffith first secured that commitment from the minister in the days after the hotel closed in March — Monday’s exchange puts it on the Commons record.
What happens to the building now rests with the receivers, who are expected to set out the next steps for the site in due course.
There has been local interest in the landmark’s future before: a community group previously launched a bid to buy back the hotel. The council, meanwhile, has ruled out purchasing it itself.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Stradey Park Hotel ‘closes with immediate effect’ just weeks after Scarlets partnership announced
The sudden shutdown shocked the town weeks after a major partnership launch.Shock claims as Stradey Park Hotel boss reveals abuse and threats amid closure crisis
A turbulent week erupted into allegations of intimidation behind the scenes.‘We are not walking away’ — Stradey Park Hotel boss makes emotional video plea to Llanelli
Ahsan Ullah addressed the town directly amid the closure crisis.Llanelli rallies around as businesses offer lifeline to Stradey Park Hotel staff and customers
#asylumAccommodation #asylumSeekers #DameNiaGriffithMP #featured #HomeOffice #Llanelli #NiaGriffithMP #StradeyParkHotel
Local venues stepped in to help staff and couples caught in the fallout. -
MS warns against ‘fear and lies’ over Stebonheath housing plan
The Labour MS said the claim, being shared by the “far‑right group” Voice of Wales, is “not true” and is not supported by any of the documents submitted to Carmarthenshire County Council.
In a Facebook post, Mr Waters said a respected housing association is working with a local developer “to turn the empty old Stebonheath School in Llanelli into small flats for local people to have a home – especially single parents currently living in B&Bs”.
He accused Voice of Wales of “trying to stir up trouble” and “spreading lies that the plan is for asylum seekers”, adding in capital letters: “THIS IS NOT TRUE.”
He said he understood that some residents would prefer the old school not to be developed, but insisted the application “should be decided by facts and by planning law, not by fear, division and lies”.
A second view of the former Stebonheath School site in Llanelli, now vacant and proposed for redevelopment into affordable flats.
(Image: Google Maps)What the plans actually say
The application, reference PL/10217, seeks permission to convert the former Stebonheath Primary School building into 21 affordable homes. Planning documents state that 20 flats would be created in the main building and one in an attached cottage.
The Design and Access Statement, submitted by Caredig housing association and Swansea‑based Castell Group, says the scheme would provide 11 one‑bedroom flats and 10 two‑bedroom flats. It describes the development as “100% affordable housing” to be managed by a Registered Social Landlord and notes that the building has been vacant since mid‑2024 after efforts to find new commercial tenants failed.
The document sets the proposal firmly in the context of local housing need and Welsh Government policy for the Swansea Bay and Llanelli growth area. It refers to national planning guidance that encourages new homes in accessible locations close to jobs, schools and services. Nowhere in the application or supporting papers is there any reference to asylum accommodation.
Mr Waters said that across Wales “3,000 children [are] living in bed and breakfasts today… because they are on the waiting list for a home”, and highlighted a particular shortage of one‑ and two‑bedroom flats for councils to use. He argued that converting the long‑empty building into small flats for local people is one way of easing that pressure.
Voice of Wales’ record in the area
Voice of Wales has been active around contentious issues in south‑west Wales for several years. Swansea Bay News has previously reported that group co‑founder Dan Morgan received a suspended jail sentence for an insurance scam, and that the group urged parents to boycott a Llanelli school’s mosque visit in Swansea, prompting widespread criticism.
We have also covered disputes where the group was involved in claims about religion lessons at a Swansea primary school which the council later moved to correct, and a racism row linked to Cinema & Co in which the group denied allegations made against it. During the 2023 row over Home Office plans to use Llanelli’s Stradey Park Hotel for asylum seekers, Voice of Wales appeared at protests and Mr Waters has previously said members used aggressive language towards politicians and campaigners.
The group has consistently rejected accusations of racism and has defended its activities in past controversies.
Residents urged to check the portal
The Stebonheath application sits within a wider Welsh Government strategy that identifies Swansea Bay and Llanelli as a national growth area where new homes and investment are encouraged. The planning statement argues the site is well placed for walking, cycling and public transport, with schools, shops and employment within easy reach.
Mr Waters has encouraged residents to look at the plans themselves on Carmarthenshire County Council’s online planning portal by searching for application PL/10217, rather than relying on social media claims.
He said the future of the former school should be decided “by facts and by planning law”, not by those seeking to “stir up trouble” over what the development is for.
#asylumAccommodation #asylumSeekers #Caredig #CastellGroup #flats #housingAssociation #LeeWatersMS #Llanelli #socialHousing #StebonheathSchool #VoiceOfWales -
Why it’s a bad idea to copy Denmark’s asylum system https://www.byteseu.com/1559823/ #Asylum #AsylumAccommodation #Denmark #EnvironmentAndCommunity #Europe #Opinion #SocialJustice
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Why it’s a bad idea to copy Denmark’s asylum system
These three centres are next to an operational military barracks which has regular gunfire practice. As a psychologist…
#Denmark #Danmark #DK #Europe #Europa #EU #asylum #AsylumAccommodation #denmark #environmentandcommunity #opinion #SocialJustice
https://www.europesays.com/2583508/ -
No plans to use Castlemartin camp for asylum accommodation, says Home Office
Local concerns over defence and services
Samuel Kurtz MS wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP seeking urgent assurances after reports suggested the west Wales military site could be used for accommodation. He also raised the issue directly with Welsh Ministers in the Senedd, who confirmed the Welsh Government has had “no contact” with Westminster regarding any such proposals.
In his letter, Mr Kurtz warned that any move to repurpose Castlemartin would have serious implications for national defence and local services:
“Castlemartin is one of the United Kingdom’s few facilities capable of hosting live firing exercises at battlegroup level. It provides vital training for our armed forces, and any restriction on its use would represent a serious loss of national defence capability at a critical time.”
He also questioned the suitability of the location for residential use, citing limited infrastructure and stretched health services.
UK Government rules out immediate plans
A Home Office spokesperson responded to the concerns with a short statement:
“There are no current plans to use the site.”
The confirmation has eased fears locally, though campaigners and representatives continue to press for clarity on future use of military and public land in Pembrokeshire.
Penally precedent still fresh in memory
Pembrokeshire has previously seen military facilities repurposed for asylum seekers. Penally Camp, near Tenby, became the centre of controversy between October 2020 and March 2021 when it housed up to 250 asylum seekers.
Swansea Bay News reported at the time that then Welsh Secretary Simon Hart MP confirmed the camp would close by March 2021, following months of protests and criticism of living conditions. Inspectors highlighted serious shortcomings, prompting the Police and Crime Commissioner to call for its immediate closure. A subsequent panel also sought answers over the costs of running the facility.
The camp was eventually handed back to the Ministry of Defence and closed in late 2022.
Related articles
- Penally asylum camp to close by 21 March, says Simon Hart MP
- Police and Crime Commissioner calls for immediate closure of Penally asylum centre
- Panel seeks answers over Penally asylum camp costs
#asylumAccommodation #asylumSeekers #castlemartin #castlemartinTrainingCamp #homeOffice #homeSecretary #illegalImmigration #immigration #pembroke #pembrokeshire #samuelKurtzMs #shabanaMahmoodMp #ukGovernment #welshConservatives
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Home Office fails to monitor asylum accommodation providers including Clearsprings and Serco | openDemocracy
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/home-office-not-monitoring-asylum-seekers-accommodation-providers-billion-pound-contracts-clearsprings-serco-mears/#HomeOffice
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees
#Housing
#AsylumAccommodation
#Clearsprings
#Serco
#Substandard
#SubstandardHousing
#OpenDemocracy
#Liberty
#Mears
#NationalAuditOffice
#NAO
#NoUpToDateListOfSubcontractors
#StayBelvedereHotels
#CrownLodge
#LionsGroup
#AASC
#AsylumAccommodationAndSupportContracts -
Home Office fails to monitor asylum accommodation providers including Clearsprings and Serco | openDemocracy
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/home-office-not-monitoring-asylum-seekers-accommodation-providers-billion-pound-contracts-clearsprings-serco-mears/#HomeOffice
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees
#Housing
#AsylumAccommodation
#Clearsprings
#Serco
#Substandard
#SubstandardHousing
#OpenDemocracy
#Liberty
#Mears
#NationalAuditOffice
#NAO
#NoUpToDateListOfSubcontractors
#StayBelvedereHotels
#CrownLodge
#LionsGroup
#AASC
#AsylumAccommodationAndSupportContracts -
Home Office fails to monitor asylum accommodation providers including Clearsprings and Serco | openDemocracy
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/home-office-not-monitoring-asylum-seekers-accommodation-providers-billion-pound-contracts-clearsprings-serco-mears/#HomeOffice
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees
#Housing
#AsylumAccommodation
#Clearsprings
#Serco
#Substandard
#SubstandardHousing
#OpenDemocracy
#Liberty
#Mears
#NationalAuditOffice
#NAO
#NoUpToDateListOfSubcontractors
#StayBelvedereHotels
#CrownLodge
#LionsGroup
#AASC
#AsylumAccommodationAndSupportContracts -
Home Office fails to monitor asylum accommodation providers including Clearsprings and Serco | openDemocracy
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/home-office-not-monitoring-asylum-seekers-accommodation-providers-billion-pound-contracts-clearsprings-serco-mears/#HomeOffice
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees
#Housing
#AsylumAccommodation
#Clearsprings
#Serco
#Substandard
#SubstandardHousing
#OpenDemocracy
#Liberty
#Mears
#NationalAuditOffice
#NAO
#NoUpToDateListOfSubcontractors
#StayBelvedereHotels
#CrownLodge
#LionsGroup
#AASC
#AsylumAccommodationAndSupportContracts -
Home Office fails to monitor asylum accommodation providers including Clearsprings and Serco | openDemocracy
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/home-office-not-monitoring-asylum-seekers-accommodation-providers-billion-pound-contracts-clearsprings-serco-mears/#HomeOffice
#AsylumSeekers
#Refugees
#Housing
#AsylumAccommodation
#Clearsprings
#Serco
#Substandard
#SubstandardHousing
#OpenDemocracy
#Liberty
#Mears
#NationalAuditOffice
#NAO
#NoUpToDateListOfSubcontractors
#StayBelvedereHotels
#CrownLodge
#LionsGroup
#AASC
#AsylumAccommodationAndSupportContracts