Decision to house asylum seekers in hotel debated

People living near a hotel which recently started to accommodate nearly 300 asylum seekers have spoken about the decision to house them there.

The men, believed to be mainly from the African nation of Eritrea, are living at Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

Nathan Evans, who leads the Conservative opposition group on Trafford Borough Council, said there were "growing safety concerns within the community" and wanted the Labour-run authority to "push for the urgent closure of this facility".

Council Leader Tom Ross, who pointed out the decision had been made by the Home Office, said the local authority would "continue to advocate for more permanent solutions to the challenges of housing and asylum processing".

The national backlog of asylum applications has fallen recently, with about 97,000 people claiming asylum in the UK in the year to June 2024.

Earlier this month, about 175 people attended a public meeting at Altrincham Methodist Church to discuss the Cresta Court Hotel being used to accommodate asylum seekers.

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service subsequently visited the town, he said security staff tried to prevent anyone talking to the hotel's new arrivals.

However, one of them said he had recently come from Eritrea and had crossed the English Channel in a boat.

"I would like to work here if I can," he said. "I don’t want to harm anyone.”

Altrincham residents expressed a wide range of views when they spoke to the LDRS.

"These guys have to live somewhere," said Sue. "I’m OK with it as long as they keep out of mischief."

The 45-year-old said she feared "local businesses will lose out".

Sue explained: "It's a shame that we have a hotel in Altrincham - that had a number of rooms for people to stay in who would spend money in the town - that’s no longer being used for that purpose."

Another resident, 59-year-old Paul, said he found "the most annoying thing about this is the lack of information".

He said: "I understand that this is a highly sensitive situation, but I don’t think it helps keeping people in the dark. My mother lives close by and is quite concerned."

Others to voice their concerns included 62-year-old Pete.

"A lot of people are deeply suspicious about the fact that they are all males," he said. "Why aren’t they here with their families? It’s very worrying."

But another Altrincham resident, Dave, appealed for "tolerance and understanding".

He said: "There's been no trouble - I think a lot of the worry is from people with Nimby [not in my backyard] tendencies.

"What we are concerned about is not the asylum seekers. It’s the right-wing activists who might come along and do crazy things and stir up trouble and hatred."

Dave said there were "neighbours who are terrified, but I don’t think they need to be."

His partner Jane said: "I think we should be investing more time in processing the asylum applications, rather than spending the money putting them up in hotels."

In a statement, Mr Ross said the government recognised that using hotels was not the long-term answer.

But the Labour councillor said his party had "inherited an asylum system [from the previous Conservative administration] that is broken and there is no quick fix to deal with the massive backlog the country is facing".

Mr Ross said Trafford was working with the Home Office, other local authorities and communities and Serco, the company which manages asylum seeker accommodation nationally.

He said Trafford had a "proud history of being a diverse, tolerant, and welcoming borough and we are dedicated to maintaining these values while addressing practical concerns, including healthcare and safeguarding".

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