Penally’s county councillor has urged people to come forward to contribute evidence to the UK Government regarding conditions at the village’s asylum seekers accommodation centre.

A country-wide inspection to be carried out by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (an independent monitoring body of the Home Office) will focus on barracks and hotels which are currently being used for the accommodation.

Safeguarding issues have resulted in a number of vulnerable people being moved from the former Military of Defence facility which was repurposed by the Home Office back in September.

118 men are currently being housed at the camp (as of January 21), Pembrokeshire County Council’s director of infrastructure Darren Thomas told a meeting of the local authority’s services overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday.

PCC’s director of development, Dr Steven Jones confirmed that the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, Mr. David Bolt would be commencing a review into the use of hotels, barracks and asylum accommodation, staying that the call for evidence was open until February 19.

Clr. Jon Preston, county councillor for the ward of Penally said about the ICIBI inspection: “I would urge local stakeholders to submit evidence to the inspection.

“Aside from the serious concerns we have about the human rights and welfare of the service users, there are also significant other questions that remain unanswered.”

The inspection will focus on the roles and responsibilities of the Home Office and the accommodation service providers, and of other parties, in relation to the use of contingency asylum accommodation.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts has also welcomed the decision to go ahead with the inspection.

“Since September last year, we in Plaid Cymru have been raising our concerns about the UK Government’s opaque reasoning for using the camp as well as the potentially dangerous conditions inside,” she remarked.

“The Home Office has avoided proper public scrutiny on this issue, and therefore I welcome the Chief Inspector’s decision to undertake an inspection, which will help to hold the UK Government accountable for its actions.

“I encourage stakeholders to contribute to the inspection, in order for us to get the clearest possible picture of what exactly has been going on at the Penally Camp these past few months.

“Whilst this is a positive step forward, this is not the end of the journey. We must ensure that the Penally site is no longer used as accommodation, and that there is a sustainable long-term solution which protects and upholds the human rights and dignity of those seeking asylum in Wales.”

Anyone with relevant knowledge or experience can submit evidence to the inspection by emailing: [email protected]