Stradey Park Hotel: Home Office 'should help repair damage'

The Home Office axed its plan to use the Stradey Park Hotel on Tuesday

The Welsh government says it wants the UK government to "repair the damage" caused by its handling of proposals to house asylum seekers at a Llanelli hotel.

On Tuesday, the UK government scrapped plans to house up to 241 asylum seekers at Stradey Park Hotel.

The Home Office, which is responsible for dealing with asylum seekers, has not explained the decision.

Social justice minister Jane Hutt said she was seeking "urgent reassurances".

The UK government was asked for comment.

BBC Wales was told Ms Hutt wanted to see financial compensation as well as the government working to address the impact on the community.

Since the plans were first announced in the Summer, there have been frequent protests held outside the hotel and an opposition group was set up.

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Speaking in the Senedd, the Social Justice minister Jane Hutt said: "I just want to reassure you that I'm seeking urgent assurances from the Home Office that they'll take full responsibility and repair the damage caused by their decisions around Stradey Park".

She added: "Wales plays its full part in UK government asylum and resettlement schemes. We continue to help people to rebuild their lives".

"The Home Office must now work with us on any future decisions across Wales; we must not see a repeat of what's happened in Llanelli".

In a topical question session on the issue in the Senedd Labour's Joyce Watson said the plan had caused "huge upset and division within the local community."

Plaid Cymru's Sioned Williams said the UK government's "despicable, discriminatory disastrous and inappropriate policies are led by ideology and not compassion".

"A desire to sow division rather than foster social cohesion," she said.

Ms Hutt said she will be meeting the minister for immigration, Robert Jenrick, next week.

"I'm going to give him a six month time deep detail of what has gone wrong over the past six months. No communication, no information, stirring up misapprehension, inviting the far right in," she said.

She added she will tell him the Welsh government wishes to continue to "play our part" in the asylum seeker dispersal plan.