Asylum hotel: Couple fear wedding cancellation if plans go ahead

A couple due to get married in a hotel that could be used to house 300 asylum seekers have said the uncertainty is causing "stress and sleepless nights".

Miriam Williams, 37, and fiancé Liam Martin, 40, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, have paid £2,000 towards their October wedding.

But Carmarthenshire council said last week the Home Office wants to house asylum seekers at the venue.

The Welsh Refugee Council said hotel overcrowding is one of their concerns.

Miriam said she had been "left in the dark" as to whether the wedding would go ahead and says she could lose thousands of pounds.

In a letter seen by BBC Wales that was sent to Miriam, the hotel said "it's business as usual" and claims about it housing asylum seekers are "unfounded".

The council said it was informed of a proposal by the Home Office to consider the hotel for the purpose of "providing contingency accommodation for a large number, believed to be in excess of 300, asylum seekers".

The Home Office said it is "committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and limit the burden on the taxpayer".

The plans for asylum seekers at the hotel were discussed at a public meeting in Llanelli's Selwyn Samuel Centre on Sunday where 400 people turned up.

Councillor for the Hengoed ward of Llanelli, Martyn Palfreman told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "This whole situation is shrouded in uncertainty.

"People locally, ourselves as the county council, and our service providers are kept pretty much in the dark in terms of whether this proposal is going to go ahead.

"My understanding is there have been discussions between the Home Office and the county council suggesting that this proposal is a significant one.

"But as we stand here today I don't think anybody knows if this proposal is going to go ahead."

Mr Palfreman said the consensus among locals was that the proposal is "completely inappropriate".

"As you'd expect there was a high strength of feeling, and we as local representatives were very clear that we stand with the local community and say that these proposals are inappropriate.

"We will do everything we can to try and reverse the direction that appears to have been taken by the Home Office," he said.

The councillor said he was concerned about the impact on public services and on the hotel itself.

"It's unacceptable that the people of Llanelli are facing a situation where they don't know whether their wedding can go ahead," he said.

"People that are fleeing persecution and war deserve to be welcomed to Wales and given the opportunity to have their asylum claims processed.

"I think the issue is that putting 300 people in a small community with the impact on public services is not the way to do that.

"The numbers that are being talked about in the proposal from the Home Office mean that the conditions in the hotel would be far from ideal."

Miriam is concerned her dream wedding at the hotel will not go ahead.

"I'm at risk of losing thousands of pounds," Miriam said.

"We've already paid £2,000, and we're due to pay another £1,500 very soon.

"We're at risk of losing that money if we cancel, but then if the hotel cancels we'll have to scramble to look for another venue which is unlikely to happen last minute.

"It's not just the venue, we've spent on cake, flowers, dresses, and the DJ and so on, so it's thousands and thousands of pounds that could go to waste."

The bride-to-be said the couple were in "utter disbelief" when they heard about the possible asylum hotel plans.

But the Stradey Park Hotel's letter to Miriam said there had been "potential misunderstandings" about operations involving guest accommodation.

The hotel says it "does not hold any formal or informal agreement to provide accommodation for asylum seekers".

"Any claims or speculations suggesting otherwise are unfounded and not in accordance with our current operational policies," it added.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Drive on Tuesday, Gareth Lynn Montes, the housing policy and research lead for the Welsh Refugee Council said it is "not a good plan" to have 300 people in one hotel.

He said there are "concerns about people being overcrowded in rooms" and "not having enough facilities".

"For instance, do they have cooking facilities there for them to fend for themselves? Otherwise they're going to have to spend their meagre allowance on food outside," Mr Lynn Montes said.

He added that asylum seekers were unable to work while their applications were being considered, which he said took two to three years on average.

If such a large group of people were in one hotel, "there is no opportunity to do some of the integration work", English language classes and other services, he said.

Carmarthenshire council, Hywel Dda health board and the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Dyfed Powys raised concerns about the plans last week.

They claimed the proposal would negatively impact the community and would place "significant strain" on education and health services.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Tuesday Dyfed Powys' PCC, Dafydd Llywelyn, added: "The concentration of having so many people in one location is what all the agencies are committed to call out."

He described it as a "strategy that we do not support here in Wales".

Dame Nia Griffith Labour MP for Llanelli described the situation as "terrible" for wedding guests and staff.

"It is completely unacceptable that the owner does not inform them what is happening and does not answer telephone calls from the county," she said.

BBC Wales asked the Home Office for a response to Miriam's concerns.

It said it did not comment on "commercial arrangements" for "asylum accommodation".

"The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain ," it added.  

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

Carmarthenshire council said it was informed of a proposal by the Home Office but believed the venue was unsuitable.

It also claimed that engagement with the Home Office had been "inconsistent" and the council's concerns had been "disregarded".

Sterling Woodrow, which owns Stradey Park Hotel, has been asked to comment.