16/11/2024
Statement from Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, about the use of the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham to accommodate asylum seekers.
“I understand the ongoing concerns raised by residents about the use of the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham for accommodating asylum seekers, which was a decision made by the Home Office and not the Council.
That said, the Council is working closely in the Altrincham community every day, alongside our partners including Greater Manchester Police to support residents and asylum seekers.
Trafford has a proud history of being a diverse, tolerant, and welcoming borough and we are dedicated to maintaining these values while addressing practical concerns.
While over the past couple of weeks there has been much discussion about the use of the hotel, we have been getting on with the job at hand, listening to and focusing on community concerns while working with the Home Office and Serco.
Our Community Safety team and officers from Greater Manchester Police are working together to support local residents and, as a partnership, continue to monitor activity at the hotel and in the community to keep everyone safe and help maintain a measured response.
Council officers have also carried out visits to the hotel to ensure that appropriate regulations are being met inside.
We continue to work with our community organisations to secure their much needed and valuable support to residents as well as to the individuals seeking refuge here.
We are also providing reassurance to schools by helping them to deal with specific parental concerns.
Our partners in the NHS are providing healthcare services with the aim of minimising the impact on local health services. NHS Greater Manchester is working with gtd healthcare, a not-for-profit provider who deliver all its services on behalf of the NHS.
It’s important for people to realise that the NHS has a legal duty to provide the appropriate health care for people while their asylum claims are being processed and this happens across the country, so this arrangement is not unique to Greater Manchester. I know the NHS together with its partners will always ensure that everyone is treated with compassion and kindness.
I accept that this is far from an ideal situation for all concerned. We have been consistent in our views that the use of hotels is not appropriate for the housing of asylum seekers and we are supportive of the letter sent from our local MP Connor Rand to the Home Secretary. The Government recognises that using hotels long term is not the answer, but it has inherited an asylum system that is broken and there is no quick fix to deal with the massive backlog of asylum seekers the country is facing.
There are some false stories being shared on social media. I urge you to take your news from reliable sources, as misinformation has spread online about the situation. We have published some Frequently Asked Questions on the Council website (https://ow.ly/tWpT50U727m), and will update these as required.
If you do have further questions for the Council please contact us at access.trafford@trafford.gov.uk. I believe that together, as a borough, we in Trafford can stand by our values of compassion and inclusivity.”
