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Response by the Cabinet Member: Dear Councillor Lewington Thank you for your further enquiry. I note you seek clarification on the information already provided. I have set this out below. Before that, may I just make a point of clarification on the terminology you have used because you are right, it is important not to confuse things. You state “… my question has nothing to do with legal immigration which brings people to our country and county for work, and they bring valuable additions to our communities. There is a clear distinction here and we must not confuse the issue.” Please note, it is not illegal to claim asylum, and once asylum is claimed individuals are in the UK legally, whatever their mode of arrival. Many go on to live and work in our communities bringing much needed contributions and skills. It is not helpful nor accurate to describe everyone seeking asylum in the UK as “illegal” as your statement infers. Regarding my previous statements referring to individuals who are seeking asylum and residing in Powys, they are correct. There is a family of four placed by the Home Office agent in the South of the County. Data showed, at that time, five other individuals living in Powys who were in receipt of ‘Subsistence Allowance’ only support. In case you are not aware, this information is in the public domain. Please use this link Asylum statistics - House of Commons Library to access the source. For ease of reference, I attach a screenshot of the latest Home Office data (from June 2026) which you will see shows five individuals who are currently seeking asylum and residing in Powys. For points 1 and 2 – please see the link above to Home Office data. For point 4 – No. That would be speculation and not helpful. For point 5 – I am not aware that this data is collected. Once asylum or ILR are granted individuals are free to live where they wish and are not tracked. For point 6 – You are correct in that there are regular meetings with the Home Office agent and officers. The content of such meetings are confidential. For numbers settled in Powys I would refer you to the Home Office data, as per the link above, which is available publicly. I do hope the above information is helpful. Control for asylum dispersal across the UK rests with the Home Office as you know. However, I hope this information will enable you to reassure residents of the current position in Powys in respect of asylum dispersal which is in much lower numbers than many reports would suggest.
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