SOMERSET and Devon have been included in ten consortia set up by the Home Office to find accommodation for asylum seekers.

The move came just two weeks after planners rejected a proposal to turn a former private school in the Quantock Hills into a home for refugees seeking asylum in Britain.

Sedgemoor planning committee's decision against the charity Kaleidoscope was branded "purely reactionary" and an attitude of "not in my back yard" by Euro MP Graham Watson.

Mr Watson is chairman of the European parliamentary committee that deals with asylum issues: "This new scheme would have brought new jobs to the area and new opportunities.

"Surely it is better to give these people a real chance for a new start in our beautiful countryside than to force them on to the streets in the inner cities?" he said.

The plan to convert now-closed Quantock School did have the support of 88 people who signed a petition in Over Stowey, Nether Stowey and nearby Spaxton.

And Nether Stowey Parish Council did not object - provided that planning permission was temporary and beds limited in number.

Similarly mixed feelings were expressed when Michael and Jenny Evans gave shelter to five Kosovan refugees at Mill Farm Camp and Caravan site in Fiddington last October.

The arrival of the five young men, at least one of whom, aged 15, had been orphaned, coincided with a hostile public meeting over Kaleidoscope's plans.

Some residents at the meeting in Over Stowey argued against the proposal on grounds including that it would devalue their properties, there might be children among the refugees and their beliefs might not be Christian.

Since then, other people in West Somerset have befriended the five and responded to appeals for support in the form of days out, clothing and help with their English.

Last Tuesday, MPs were told that the rise in conflicts in Europe led to a 50 per cent increase in the number of asylum seekers over the last year.

At the moment, refugees are 'ghettoed' in the South East and London, and the Government plans to spread them across the UK.

The Home Office has agreed that ten consortia be set up to identify potential asylum refuges in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

South West Consortium chairman Mike Robinson, chief executive of South Gloucestershire Council, said: "Asylum seekers need the support of our local communities - many will have lost their homes and loved ones.

"They are seeking a place of refuge in a country without war and civil unrest."

The South West Consortium comprises 33 local authorities in the county areas of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, former Avon, Somerset and Devon.

Mr Robinson said: "All the local authorities in the South West are committed to being responsive to the needs of families in crisis. Local councils know best how many asylum seekers they can support and where they could be accommodated.

"As a consortium, we want to take into account the local circumstances in each area. I am keen to investigate whether there are properties that could be used that would cause minimal disruption to local people."

At a seminar last Wednesday, members of the consortium heard from Refugee Action and the Immigration and Nationality Service that up to 325 units of accommodation a month needed to be found in the region.

About 100 have already been identified in places including Bristol, and the Bridgwater-Taunton area plus nine others have been earmarked as having potential.

Once accommodation has been identified, details will be given to the central clearing house in London, after which asylum seekers could start arriving within a matter of weeks.

In a debate in the new chamber of the House of Commons, Taunton MP and Liberal Democrat Deputy Shadow for Home Affairs Jackie Ballard blamed the Government for a backlog in processing applications.

"The Government cannot be blamed for the rising number of asylum seekers, which is largely explained by the international situation," she said.

"But it must take responsibility for failing to get to grip with the serious administration problems which are leading to an ever-rising backlog of applicants."