Welsh councils quit dispersal scheme

Councils in Wales have carried out their
threat to withdraw from the Home Office asylum dispersal scheme
(News, page 11, 2 May).

A
consortium of 21 local authorities took the decision after the
National Asylum Support Service failed to respond to requests to
come to a decision on the implementation of the scheme, which had
been put on hold after home secretary David Blunkett announced a
review of the dispersal system last year.

The
authorities are now seeking reimbursement of the £175,000
costs of setting up the scheme.