Residents bemoan 'information vacuum' after hotel found to be housing migrants

"There's been an information vacuum," said one mother of two at a hastily arranged public meeting in a local church.

Young men can now be seen gathered in the car park outside the hotel drinking coffee and smoking, reports Sky News.

The situation has sparked heated debate in the community, with some residents expressing concern about safety while others have mounted protests with banners reading "Refugees Welcome in Altrincham."

At the church meeting, residents voiced their concerns about safety and the lack of prior consultation.

One woman, her voice shaking, questioned whether the hotel was "effectively an open prison" near several local girls' schools and a nursery.

She added that she had already cancelled a night out with friends over safety worries.

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Community police officer Colin Dytor says the men's refugee status is a matter for the Home Office but added: "I can assure you we've had asylum seekers in Trafford for several years and there has been no spike in crime attributed to these asylum seekers."

Local resident Roger Roper objects, saying the Britannia Ashley Hotel in Hale - that the officer is referring to - is mostly for migrant families, adding: "This is up to 300 young men. We don't know anything about them. If they don't have any papers or passports, we don't know what they are capable of."

Another resident expressed concerns about her daughter's safety after dark, suggesting the men came from a country that "doesn't value women."

Gwyneth Roper, who hosted the meeting at the chapel, emphasised: "I can't say I agree or disagree with what's going on because we've just been kept in the dark and treated like mushrooms."

Labour MP Connor Rand for Altrincham and Sale West released a statement confirming that background checks had been conducted on the men by the Home Office.

Councillor Nathan Evans, leader of the Trafford Conservative Group, who organised the meeting, said there had been a "wall of silence" where residents have "genuine concerns."

A spokesperson for Serco, which manages the hotel, indicated that healthcare provision arrangements were still pending local authority decision.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed."

They continued: "We have taken immediate action to restart asylum processing which will save an estimated £7bn for the tax payer over the next 10 years, and are delivering a major uplift in returns to remove people with no right to be in the UK. Over the long term this will reduce our reliance on hotels and costs of accommodation.

"We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers and continue to identify a range of accommodation options to minimise their use."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the situation, noting that "small boat crossings are up because the Rwanda deterrent was cancelled before it started."

Reform UK MP Richard Tice added: "Residents hit out at 'information vacuum' over hotel used for asylum seekers Hotel jobs lost, local economy suffering as spend down, crime fears…Only ⁦Reform UK will stop boats with pick up and take back."