Hale’s Green Party councillor has called on the local community to support the “vulnerable” asylum seekers who could be about to move into the Ashley Hotel.
The Home Office has identified the Britannia-run hotel in Hale village as a potential location for a group of 112 male immigrants who have arrived by small boat from France.
Although it’s understood that a final decision has not yet been taken, the group could be moving in as early as this Sunday, January 15th.
Sir Graham Brady, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, has said that the Ashley Hotel was the “most obviously inappropriate location you could imagine”.
But Councillor Jane Leicester, Trafford Council’s Green Party councillor for Hale Central, said that although they still didn’t have “many details about practicalities”, she urged compassion.
“We need to remember that these people are coming from dangerous, often war-torn areas and are seeking a place of safety,” she said.
“It is important that all agencies and our compassionate local community work together to support these vulnerable people.
“The right to seek asylum is a basic human right, both in the UK and in international law. The asylum process is controlled by the government in Westminster. Trafford Council tell us they have had no say in this decision.”
She also blamed the current government for running a “failing asylum system” that was “grossly under-resourced”.
“With a better resourced system refugees could be starting their new lives in homes, rather than stuck in limbo in a hotel,” she added.
“The UK is taking in fewer refugees than countries such as France or Germany. Proper resourcing to support people in dire need, and safe routes to get to the UK, are urgently needed.”
A Home Office spokesperson has said that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers was a “temporary solution”.
The Ashley Hotel is owned by Hale-headquartered Britannia Hotels, which in November was declared by Which? to be the worst hotel chain in the UK for the 10th consecutive year.
It has previously courted controversy for housing asylum seekers in some of its 60-plus hotels across the country, including those in Wigan and Nottingham in recent years.
We’ve approached Trafford Council for an update about the situation.
