Asylum seekers no longer to be housed at north Wales mansion after decision reversed by Home Office

Asylum seekers will no longer be housed in a north Wales mansion following backlash from local politicians.

The Grade-II listed Marle Hall in Conwy was set to house asylum seekers and was previously earmarked by the Home Office as a potential migrant facility.

Aberconwy MP Robin Millar said, "the Hall was the wrong premises in the wrong location and risked bringing an extra burden to stretched local services."

Last Friday, it was announced the former Georgian Mansion near Llandudno junction would be used to house asylum seekers.

It was bought by Warwickshire council in 1971 and was used as an outward bound learning centre, providing residential trips and courses for schoolchildren until in shut in October 2021.

MP Robin Millar and MS Janet Finch Saunders both expressed their concerns about the suitability of the facility at the time.

Mr Millar claimed the Home Office had not properly consulted people on the scheme.

He said: "I welcome the news that, following my meetings with the Immigration Minister, Marle Hall will not be used as a Home Office facility.

"I know this news will come as a relief for many in the community who were unsure how many people were coming, who they were, how long they would be here and why."It is also important that this decision had been reached after proper consideration of the wellbeing of those within Home Office facilities."

The decision came after asylum seekers were housed temporarily in a Hilton hotel in Dolgarrog, Snowdonia, last year.

The move was heavily criticised by some people, one charity saying that is was the sign of a "failed system."

The Welsh Refugee Council said housing asylum seekers in hotels led to "significant delays" when processing their claims.

They added: "Hotels are not homes and putting Sanctuary-Seekers in hotels far from local communities is far from ideal and prevents their integration."

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch Saunders also raised "serious objections" to the plan in an urgent letter last week and Mr Millar thanked her for the support on the issue.

He added: "It was clear there were concerns that the Hall was the wrong premises in the wrong location and risked bringing an extra burden to stretched local services."Clearly our view has prevailed on the Home Office. I'm also very grateful for the support of our local MS, Janet Finch-Saunders.

Last week the Home Office admitted the use of hotels to house asylum seekers was "unacceptable." They added: "We remain committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and limit the burden on the taxpayer and the local communities.“We continue to engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation and work to ensure arrangements are safe for hotel residents and local people.”