Trafford Council has accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of presenting them with a “fait accompli” with regard to asylum seekers in the Ashley Hotel – and urged her to clarify the exact number who are set to arrive in Hale over the next few days.
Council leader Cllr Tom Ross has written to Braverman criticising her department of only involving the local authority “at the eleventh hour”, and says its implementation of the plan has up to now been “disjointed and confusing”.
The Home Office has identified the Britannia-run hotel in Hale village as a location for a group of up to 112 male immigrants who have arrived by small boat from France.
It’s understood the group could be moving in from next Friday, January 20th, although little information has been forthcoming from the Home Office.
In his letter, Cllr Ross sets out the council’s concerns over the “lack of dialogue and planning” and that his officers had not received an “adequate response” to their enquiries.
He wrote: “I accept these are not easy decisions, however you have presented us with a fait accompli, working with Britannia Hotels (the owners of Ashley Hotel) before looping-in the council at the eleventh hour. Our officers have had to move with haste to ensure that essential wrap-around services like health screening and safeguarding are in place.
“We will play our part with professionalism and dedication, but this arrangement is far from ideal.
“My point in writing to you is to underline that asylum seekers are often vulnerable people with complex needs, who require specialist care and support. We object to the principle of using hotels in this way as they are not a suitable type of accommodation to house and support asylum seekers in the right way. This situation is made worse by your department’s disjointed and confusing implementation.”
He added: “Trafford has a proud tradition of welcoming newcomers and has vibrant migrant communities. In recent years, we have become home to people from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine as well as a significant number of Hong Kongers.
“At the time of writing, the exact number of asylum seekers, their specific needs, and the length of time they will be staying there at the Ashley Hotel, has not been shared with us. I would, therefore, urge you to clarify the matters I have raised as soon as possible so that our teams can make all necessary arrangements.”
Local MP Sir Graham Brady has already described the proposed location was the “most obviously inappropriate location you could imagine”.
But Jane Leicester, Green Party councillor for Hale Central, said any asylum seekers should be treated with 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.
