“We Felt Betrayed”: Villagers in Shock After Discovering How Asylum Seekers Were Moved Into Village
Residents in a quiet Welsh coastal village say they were shocked after asylum-seeking families were moved into a new housing development without the community being told beforehand.
Gronant in Flintshire has a population of around 1,600 people. The village is known for its sandy beaches, peaceful surroundings and colony of little terns.
Local people had expected the 15 newly built homes on the site of the former village hall to be rented out or sold. They had also been told the properties might eventually be used as social housing.
However, residents later discovered that 13 of the homes had reportedly been taken over to provide accommodation for families waiting for decisions on their asylum applications. The families were moved there by Clearsprings, a company working under contract for the Home Office.
The decision has caused anger and uncertainty in the village, mainly because residents say they were not properly informed or consulted before the families arrived.
Kerrie Cox, 39, said she was washing her car when a minibus with darkened windows arrived. She claimed seven people, including five men and two women, got out of the vehicle.
She said nobody in the community had been notified about their arrival. According to Ms Cox, residents believed the homes would be sold or rented before possibly becoming social housing in the future.
She said many people in the village were shocked and added that police officers had been present throughout the day and night, which she described as unusual for the normally quiet area.
Another resident, Julie Tuson, 65, said local people wanted more information about who was being moved into the development and what security checks had been carried out.
She said communities should be included in important decisions affecting their area and claimed residents felt betrayed because they had not been told about the plans.
Her partner, Robert Bagshaw, 64, said he believed officials avoided holding a public consultation because they expected local opposition. He also argued that Gronant was not the right place for such a large accommodation scheme.
Laurie Gilmour, 29, described the mood in the village as one of anger and uncertainty. She said residents were worried because they did not know who would be living at the development. She also questioned whether the village was suitable because it has limited facilities and services.
The dispute comes after the Government promised earlier this year that newly built homes would no longer be used to house asylum seekers. That announcement followed reports that an entire street had been set aside for migrant accommodation.
Tom Montgomery, a Reform member of the Welsh Senedd, claimed that as many as 52 asylum seekers could eventually be accommodated at the Gronant development.
He has written to the UK Government asking for details about the security checks carried out on those being housed there. He has also called for the plans to be stopped.
Mr Montgomery said Gronant has only 697 households, limited public services and poor transport connections. He argued that the village was unsuitable for housing such a large number of asylum seekers.
Councillor Glyn Banks is now requesting a meeting involving Labour MP Becky Gittins, the police and representatives of concerned residents. He said the proposed accommodation scheme was too large for such a small village.
Resident Joanne Gilmore has also started a petition asking the council to reconsider the decision. The petition raises concerns about whether local healthcare, schools, transport and employment opportunities can support additional residents.
Flintshire County Council stressed that the people being housed in Gronant are not illegal immigrants. A council spokesperson said they are legally exercising their right to apply for asylum and should be treated with compassion and respect.
A Government spokesperson said the concerns of local communities are an important part of its planned immigration reforms.
