Rumours town to house asylum seekers' centre addressed by MP

UP TO 35 PEOPLE MAY BE ACCOMMODATED

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor

A NEW asylum seeker dispersal centre in Flintshire will be capable of accommodating up to 35 people, an MP has said. The facility, in Mold, has divided opinion in the market town.

Rumours had been rife that around 100 people could be housed in flats above town centre shops in Mold. Flintshire Council has confirmed the Ambrose Centre flats was being readied for use by the Home Office and stressed that, like Mold Town Council, it had not been consulted on the issue.

The local authority said the dispersal centre will be operated by Clearsprings Ready Homes, a private firm contracted by the Home Office to provide asylum seeker accommodation across Wales and southern England. Last year the company's owner, Graham King, entered the Sunday Times rich list with an estimated net worth of £750m. He has been dubbed the "asylum king".

Dispersal centres house asylum claimants while their applications are assessed. If approved, the local authority then moves them to dispersal accommodation, which can include self-contained properties or houses of multiple occupancy.