Consortium failure hits Newport funds

The collapse of the Welsh Consortium for Refugees and Asylum
Seekers has left Newport Council with a bill for
£160,000.

The National Asylum Support Service asked the council to set up the
consortium four years ago to deal with accommodation issues across
Wales.

But contracts for accommodation were never concluded and Nass went
on to make alternative arrangements with independent providers.

The Home Office refused to take responsibility for the collapse of
the consortium. The council is now trying to recover the cash it
spent on setting up the consortium.

“Newport Council has approached all local authorities involved with
a proposal that each should contribute equally to these costs,” a
spokesperson for the council said.