Altincham asylum seeker hotel decision debated by local residents

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 Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reporter Nick Jackson 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.”