'Outraged' homeless person accuses hotel of evicting them so beach festival-goers can stay instead

Tunes on the Bay takes place in Swansea this weekend, but the Dragon Hotel in Swansea has said temporary accommodation at any time of year is only ever for specific time frames, although extensions can be requested

A Swansea hotel has been criticised by a homeless person after they claimed they were told they would have to leave their temporary accommodation there to make space for people attending the Tunes on the Bay Festival taking place this bank holiday weekend - May 2-4.

The individual, who said they were currently staying at the Dragon Hotel, voiced their frustration after claiming that Housing Options, the part of Swansea Council which helps people who are homeless find accommodation, informed them that they, along with others in similar situations, would need to vacate the hotel from Thursday to Monday to accommodate visitors attending the music festival, which is being held on Swansea Beach.

They claimed: "We were informed by housing options on Tuesday (April, 29) that we temporarily have to leave from Thursday to Monday so the Dragon can accommodate people going to the music festival in Swansea.

"I know they are a business, but with the temporary accommodation at full stretch, they are sending people out of the area or asking them to stay with family and friends. Personally, I'm outraged by this seeing as we are in temporary accommodation for a reason—homelessness." Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here

The Dragon Hotel, when contacted by WalesOnline, said in response: "We would like to clarify that all temporary accommodation bookings are arranged for specific time frames, with extensions requested in advance. This allows us to manage room availability for all guests.

"Sometimes, rooms are sold once the original booking periods are concluded and no extension has been requested. This process is standard and applies not only during festival periods, but also throughout the year.

"Please be assured that we remain fully committed to supporting the local authority, local community, and their clients wherever possible and make availability when requested to do."

A Swansea Council spokesperson said: "The council has been working with local accommodation providers including hotels and B&Bs, as part of its role in tackling homelessness and providing temporary accommodation to those in need.

"We will continue to support service users in need of temporary accommodation and ensure that when transfers to other accommodation are required, that we work with them to find alternative arrangements."

As part of efforts to address demand for temporary accommodation, the council revealed that a new dedicated facility, Llys Glas, would soon be available to provide more permanent housing options.

"We have an extensive network of accommodation to help people who need emergency or temporary accommodation. It is not unusual for people to need to move accommodation before moving to a more permanent home

"We have a new dedicated facility (Llys Glas) coming online shortly as a dedicated temporary accommodation facility

Looking ahead, the council said it also aimed to reduce reliance on hotels and B&Bs for temporary accommodation, instead focusing on more sustainable solutions.

"The aim is to reduce our reliance on hotels and B&Bs being used for temporary accommodation if at all possible going forward," they explained.

The spokesperson went on to highlight the need for a balance, noting: "Hotels need to be available to support the tourism and visitor economy, and those needing temporary or emergency accommodation need to be supported in dedicated facilities."

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