Councilman Pio Smith of the Drogheda Labour Party has stated that “meaningful” community consultation should have taken place prior to the decision to put applicants for international protection at a town hotel, reports RTE.
According to Mr. Smith, it was shocking to learn that the D Hotel would be able to house up to 500 people seeking international protection.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said that the Government made this choice without consulting the primary stakeholders.
He stated that the decision, which came just after the Marks and Spencer store in the Laurence Shopping Centre closed, was received with “disbelief in the town” when it was announced to the community yesterday.
“People then were fearful of the fact that there was going to be 56% of our tourist accommodation taken out of town in one fell swoop. So, there’s a lot of concern then in regards to what the impact that was going to have on the business community and jobs in the area,” he said, reports RTE.
“So yes, certainly true to say that people are really concerned about this,” he added, reports RTE.
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