Council votes down ending asylum hotels

Local TV

Cardiff Council have voted down Conservative proposals to ban using hotels to house asylum seekers in the city. Labour and the Lib Dem’s in the council called the bid ‘shameful’. 91 out of roughly 2,000 asylum seekers in Cardiff currently reside in hotels.

Transcript

00:00Politicians in Cardiff have rejected a conservative-led motion that has sought to stop hotels and

00:07other accommodation being used to house asylum seekers in the city.

00:11The debate held at County Hall saw strong words from across the political spectrum.

00:15The Conservatives argued Cardiff should take all steps to make clear it would no longer

00:19host asylum seekers who entered the UK illegally, and called for planning enforcement and possible

00:24injunctions against hotels being used in this way.

00:28Liberal councillors from Labour and the Liberal Democrats branded the proposal shameful

00:32and a disgraceful attack on some of the most vulnerable in society.

00:35They argued the focus should be on tackling the UK asylum backlog and ensuring safe, legal

00:40routes for those fleeing conflict and persecution.

00:43Liberal Democrat leader Rodney Berman spoke of his own family's Jewish heritage and their

00:47flight to the UK from persecution in the early 20th century, calling Cardiff's tradition

00:52of providing refuge something to be proud of.

00:55Liberal councillor Peter Wong said the motion leaned into the politics of fear and division,

01:00while Liberal Democrat colleague Imran al-Ateef pointed out asylum seekers make up only a tiny

01:05fraction of Cardiff's population.

01:07Home Office figures show that as of June this year, 91 asylum seekers in Cardiff were being

01:13housed in hotels out of roughly 2,000 asylum seekers in total across the city.

01:18Most were in longer-term or resettlement accommodation.

01:20The UK government says it's reduced the money spent on hotels used nationally by almost

01:25a billion pounds over the last year, and has doubled the rate of asylum decision making.

01:30But with Cardiff hosting the largest number of asylum seekers in Wales, councillors agreed

01:34that any solution must balance the city's housing challenges with its long-term standing role

01:39as a place of sanctuary.

01:40Jane Feege Watkins reporting for Local TV.

01:42Jane Feege Watkins reporting for Local TV.

01:43Jane Feege Watkins reporting for Local TV.

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