A PLEDGE to take the concerns of Penally residents to Westminster has been made to villagers by an MP.

As community fears escalate over the tense situation which has resulted from the siting of asylum seekers in Penally's Army training camp, a 'virtual' village hall meeting took place to seek answers.

Shadow secretary of state for Wales Nia Griffith was amongst the panellists, and she criticised the Home Office move to bring up to 234 male asylum seekers to the camp as 'shambolic'.

She said:

The last few weeks, the village has had to put up with those travelling from Swansea and further afield to protest this decision. Now is the time for those protests to stop and for the community to get the support they need, and I’ll certainly be raising their concerns on their behalf in Westminster.”

The meeting was arranged and chaired by Labour member of the Senedd, Eluned Morgan, and the panel also included police and crime commissioner, Dafydd Llewellyn and local county councillor Jonathan Preston.

In a first for the village, almost 60 local residents joined the online meeting on Wednesday October 7.

Under discussion were the Home Office decision and the plight of those seeking asylum, with the offer of assurance that community safety was the priority for both the elected representatives at the meeting and Dyfed Powys Police.

Eluned Morgan MS said: “Local residents have been let down by the Home Office and the Tory government in Westminster.

"Due to Covid-19, a public meeting was out of the question, so I convened a virtual village hall meeting that brought local residents together.

"As well as giving people a chance to have their say, I was keen to ensure the asylum process was explained to counteract the incorrect messages circulating on social media.”

She added:

There remains serious questions over why this so-called ‘emergency situation’ was allowed to go unchecked forcing the use of Penally camp as a centre for asylum seekers.

"The community has been robbed of the chance to have a proper consultation over this and the decision is causing a great deal of worry and anxiety especially for Penally’s older residents.”

Dyfed Powys Police Chief Superintendent Jon Cummins and Pembrokeshire Commander Anthony Evans provided reassurance that the force was working with the community and agencies supporting the asylum seekers to provide safety for all.

Additional resources have been made available and through their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, officers are actively addressing local concerns and providing a more visible presence.

Sian Summers-Rees from the Swansea City of Sanctuary is working with Migrant Help and the community in Pembrokeshire seeking to support camp residents.

She also sought to reassure local residents that those who have made the long, often perilous journey to the UK would not cause trouble or seek to invalidate their claim to remain in the United Kingdom.

Over the last few weeks, politicians and residents have raised their views with UK Government ministers with little result, adding to the frustration felt by local residents.

Nia Griffith warned that this was currently often the case.

She said:

The community needed an opportunity to voice their concerns and by holding a private, residents-only meeting I think Eluned has given those worried about this shambolic Home Office decision a chance to air their views.

Eluned Morgan has pledged to provide a written response to village residents and will hold a further virtual village hall meeting before Christmas.

Penally resident, Naomi Chiffi said she found the meeting 'very beneficial'.

She commented:

“By ensuring that the meeting focused on Penally residents and that all attendees had the opportunity to voice concerns and ask questions openly, meant that it felt very constructive and that the most important issues were being heard.

It was heartening to hear such commonality in feeling about the welfare of the whole community - both the gentlemen in the camp and the local residents outside of it, and of the mutual sense of disappointment felt about the lack of care and consideration for all parties involved on the part of the Home Office."