Warrington Fir Grove Best Western Sure Collection Hotel, Knutsford Old Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK, WA4 2LD

Angry MP aims to raise Fir Grove Hotel asylum seekers decision in parliament - more at https://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2022/11/05/angry-mp-aims-to-raise-fir-grove-hotel-asylum-seekers-decision-in-parliament/ An angry Warrington South MP Andy Carter says he is going to raise the Home Office decision to allow asylum seekers at the Fir Grove Hotel at Grappenhall in parliament in the coming week. Mr Carter yesterday held a number of meetings to understand the legal options available to Warrington Borough Council, which also opposes the decision. He said: “I held a number of meetings yesterday to understand the legal options available to the Council in terms of challenging decisions taken by the owners of the hotel and to gain more information from the Home Office and their plans for this site. “In discussions with Home Office officials, I have been advised that the cohort planned for accommodation this site will be families with children. Prior to arriving in Warrington the refugees will have been processed at centres elsewhere. The hotel has 54 rooms and a maximum occupancy of 79 guests in total. “The advice received from Kings Counsel was that an immediate legal challenge to this decision to use this site for Asylum Seekers would be unlikely to succeed, not least due the incredibly short timescales before the asylum seekers arrive in Warrington and the location of the owners of the site. Other local authorities are however pursuing legal routes related to planning legislation and a change of use requirements, which I am monitoring.