IT is quite incorrect to give the impression that hundreds of asylum seekers are about to flock to Hyndburn in the near future (LET, March 23).

There have been no meetings, no discussions and no plans have been formulated to send asylum seekers to Hyndburn.

The Asylum and Immigration Act does mean that every council in the country -- from John O'Groats to Lands End -- has a responsibility to help to accommodate asylum seekers, easing the burden on overclogged councils in Kent and London. So far, however, the Home Office has not contacted us asking us to take any asylum seekers.

If we reach a stage in the future when asylum seekers are housed in Hyndburn, we will first of all ensure that there are sufficient educational and health facilities to meet the extra demand.

Furthermore, the Government has pledged to meet every reasonable cost in housing these refugees, so the people of Hyndburn are not being deprived of any resources.

It is spurious to assume that just because there are empty properties in Within Grove that we will dump scores of asylum seekers there.

Furthermore, the figure of 390 asylum seekers is the absolute limit we would have to take, based on a notional quota of one asylum seeker for every 1,200 residents.

Given the long-term nature of this problem, that figure reflects our obligations over a number of years. It would be more likely that a much smaller amount of people would be housed in our borough.

I hope this goes some way to allay the understandable concerns that many Hyndburn people have about this issue.

KEVIN MEAGHER, Press Officer, Hyndburn Council.

FOOTNOTE: The Government may not yet have asked Hyndburn Council to take asylum seekers, but clearly Hyndburn is getting ready to receive them.

Our report made clear that 390 was the maximum number of refugees which Hyndburn might be asked to accommodate.

The suggestion that asylum seekers might be housed in Huncoat was made by members of the council's ruling Conservative group, who will be responsible for housing asylum seekers when and if they arrive. Editor.

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