New asylum seeker dispersal centre in market town to house up to 35 people
The local MP said speculation about the centre had caused 'confusion and alarm' within the community
The Ambrose Centre in Mold town centre is being prepared for use by the Home Office for people whose asylum claims are being considered
(Image: Google)
A new asylum seeker dispersal centre in Flintshire will have capacity for as many as 35 individuals, according to an MP. The facility, located in Mold, has split public opinion within the market town.
Speculation had been widespread that approximately 100 people might be accommodated in apartments situated above High Street retail premises in Mold. Flintshire Council has acknowledged that the Ambrose Centre flats were being prepared for Home Office use for people whose asylum claims were being considered.
The council stressed that, like Mold Town Council, it had not been consulted regarding the matter.
The local authority said the dispersal facility would be managed by Clearsprings Ready Homes, a private company contracted by the Home Office to supply asylum seeker housing throughout Wales and southern England, reports NorthWalesLive.
Last year the firm's owner, Graham King appeared on the Sunday Times rich list with an estimated wealth of £750m. He has earned the nickname 'The Asylum King'.
Dispersal centres accommodate asylum claimants whilst their applications are assessed. If approved the local authority relocates them to dispersal housing, which can include self-contained properties or houses of multiple occupancy.
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Recognising the matter was generating "confusion and alarm" within the community Clwyd East Labour MP Becky Gittins requested additional details from the Home Office.
She said the Mold centre was designated specifically for families rather than single people. A maximum of 35 individuals will be spread among nine apartments at the Ambrose Centre.
"Currently there are no families present," she wrote in an open letter posted on social media. "Nor are there any plans to place families at the centre although this can change at short notice."
While the majority of asylum seekers are housed in London and the southeast of England there has been a shift towards distributing claimants more uniformly across the country. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
Data from the Migration Observatory think-tank shows Flintshire sits in the middle for asylum seeker numbers being housed in north Wales. The statistics up to March 31 are outlined below.
Wrexham: 109 asylum seekers (eight per 10,000 residents)
Denbighshire: 52 asylum seekers (five per 10,000 residents)
Gwynedd: 45 asylum seekers (four per 10,000 residents)
Flintshire: 36 asylum seekers (two per 10,000 residents)
Anglesey: 15 asylum seekers (two per 10,000 residents)
Conwy: 21 asylum seekers (one per 10,000 residents)
Powys: Five asylum seekers (zero per 10,000 residents)
Ceredigion: Zero asylum seekers (zero per 10,000 residents)
In contrast Halton Council in Cheshire accommodates 867 asylum claimants, equivalent to 65 per 10,000 residents.
Ms Gittins, who was elected in 2024, said: "It is right and appropriate that asylum seekers are fairly spread across the country while their claims are being assessed.
"As such it is right we seek to reduce the reliance on hotels as their usage is not only hugely expensive but can also place an unsustainable burden on specific communities, as was seen locally with the rejected proposal to place hundreds of asylum seekers at Northop Hall Country House Hotel.
"The number of asylum hotels has fallen from over 400 in 2023 to under 210 today and we want to end their usage by the end of the parliament."
Having grown up in Bagillt and attended Alun School, Mold, Ms Gittins said she knows the area well. "I know what a welcoming, inclusive community it is and the support it has provided to refugees in recent years.
"People have every right to be angry about the chaotic situation we inherited and to hold me to account as your MP for our success in addressing these issues.
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"But I ask that we treat each other, including potentially vulnerable asylum seekers, with the kindness and humanity that has always been such a hallmark of the community in Mold."
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