Thread by @byapptto

🧵As the recent influx of migrants to Altrincham hit the national news this week, here is an insider account of what is going on, how the locals have reacted and the response of politicians and officials that hasn't been mentioned in the media.

As of last week 300 migrants (all men) were bussed into the Cresta Court in Altrincham. This was the evening it was announced to the public, presumably to cause as little stir as possible. The deal was between Serco, Home Office and owners of the hotel.

The hotel is owned by former FA chair and ex director general of the BBC Greg Dyke who received substantial compensation and "ministerial approval" to house migrants. He had previously given Tony Blair a 55k donation in the 90's and has a close affiliation with the Labour party.

The hotel is within yards of a primary school, 10 minutes' walk from Loreto Girls' school and 17 minutes' walk from Altrincham Girls' and Bowden Girls' primary fuelling local concerns about the safety of local children.

The first locals heard of the decision was when a news page posted that bookings for the forthcoming year were cancelled without warning including weddings and events. Friends of staff had also confirmed the news and commented on how staff were to receive self defence training.

So, what of the local MP? Well, that is the newly elected Connor Rand of Labour. Connor is an air dropped MP from Norwich in his first post who, until recently, was a Trade Union researcher. This is the first time Altrincham has ever voted labour to represent them in parliament.

In response a number of meetings were set. The first was by Tory council members with limited capacity a day or so after the incident. The MP did not attend and this was the meeting filmed by Sky at a church. Despite heated moments it was amicable unlike the next one days later.

It should also be noted that in the Sky piece Inspector Colin Dytor implies that because migrants had been here for a few years without problem it would be ok now. This is a false equivalence as those he is referring to were all women and children staying in a nearby hotel.

Days later MP Connor Rand organises a "drop in" session at Altrincham Methodist Church opposite the hotel to address residents' concerns between 4-7PM. It's attended by Police, MP and local councillors. Serco were due to attend but did not show up. He attends with a bodyguard.

Hundreds come and go as Rand is subjected to enraged locals shouting at him, a woman screams in his face and is escorted away by the bodyguard. Others call him a traitor and a man advises that he should update his CV as he will need it soon. Many tell him he's out of his depth.

Any difficult questions he tells those there that "it's above his paygrade" or that it's "a question for the home office" He did not have specific figures to hand regarding costs. He confirms that the contract is 12 months but "may be extended" He says he will try to look at that

Other locals ask if there is a curfew (there isn't).
It will also be the local council's responsibility to house any migrants that are given asylum.
Migrants have all been given a mobile phone.
Once a decision has been made on asylum new migrants will be brought to the hotel.

Someone asks how they can be vetted if we don't know who they are. The MP responds by saying that "they'd been asked lots of questions and no problems were found"
"but they can lie and tell us they're safe when they're actually murderers" His reply is "so could anyone".

Lastly, people learn that migrants will receive free private healthcare rather than going through the NHS to avoid backlogs. Police also confirm that no extra funding will be given to support them for any potential incidents that might occur.

There's been an angry undercurrent all night and as it's a "drop in" style people are shouting at the MP and council from all angles. His bodyguard blocks him a few times at this point but it descends into chaos when a woman screams at Rand before spitting at him and storming out

As if to sum the evening up people file out of the church just as a woman walking her dog has an interaction with a hotel resident. The man talks to her before shouting "slut!" at her over the wall in front of shocked locals. Police are informed but tensions continue to rise. 🧵