Hale's Ashley Hotel to accommodate asylum seekers 'from today'

But these arrivals at the Ashley Hotel are to be '80 per cent families' rather than '112 young, single men', an MP said.

Graham Brady, the MP for Altrincham and Sale West, said he approached Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick about the plan for the Ashley Hotel, which he told BBC North West Tonight was 'the worst possible place' to be used as accommodation for asylum seekers.

He told The Messenger these talks led to a change of tack by the Home Office, although the department declined to confirm this was the case.

Ashley Hotel (Image: Google)

Sir Graham said: "There was considerable concern that a large number of single young men housed in the Ashley Hotel might cause problems. 

"I raised this concern with the Home Secretary and the Immigration Minister and I am pleased to have received confirmation that at least 80 per cent of the asylum seekers to be accommodated at the hotel will be families. I am relieved that this much improved outcome has been achieved."

On January 6, when Trafford Council confirmed the plan for the Ashley Hotel, a spokesperson criticised the Home Office for a lack of consultation with the authority, which is to work with some local charities and the NHS to provide services and supplies.

The next week, council leader Tom Ross wrote to Ms Braverman for confirmation of details such as the number of asylum seekers or the duration of the arrangement. This confirmation came at the end of last week, and some of these details are still unclear.

Graham Brady (Image: PA)

A council spokesperson said: "We were alerted on Friday afternoon that the cohort of asylum seekers would begin arriving at the Britannia Hotel on February 1. 

"Teams are on standby and contingency plans have been worked up so we can fulfil our statutory responsibilities in terms of practical issues like public health."

Cllr Ross added: "I wrote to the Home Secretary two weeks ago setting out why housing asylum seekers in hotels like this is a terrible idea. These are difficult enough issues to grapple with, without the Home Office only letting us know at the last minute.

"As I wrote in my letter to Ms Braverman, our teams will play their part with professionalism and dedication, but this policy is utterly disjointed."

Approached by The Messenger, the Home Office declined to confirm the talks with Sir Graham, but it responded to the criticism from Cllr Ross.

A department spokesperson said: "The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

"We engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation and work to ensure arrangements are safe for hotel residents and local people." 

This article was written by Jack Tooth. Jack is the reporter for The Messenger and covers anything and everything from within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford.

To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.