WARRINGTON South MP Andy Carter has held a meeting with the Prime Minister over a series of local issues.

The MP says he met with Rishi Sunak yesterday evening, Wednesday, at Number 10. Downing Street.

Mr Carter says that among the items they discussed was a Home Office plan to close a Grappenhall hotel to the public to house migrants – an issue which has received strong local backlash.

It was revealed by the Warrington Guardian last week that the Fir Grove Hotel, which is a popular wedding venue, had closed to accommodate asylum seekers, with staff also losing their jobs.

It comes amid a record almost 40,000 migrants arriving illegally into the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year.

A sixth English council has started steps to take legal action to stop the Government using a hotel to house asylum seekers.

Mr Carter has raised the highly controversial issue in Parliament and previously said that opening an asylum centre at a Warrington hotel without consulting residents was 'simply not acceptable'.

Other topics he discussed with the PM included the town’s bid for a new hospital, for which a decision was due in spring and is long overdue.

Mr Carter said: “At Number 10 this evening, Wednesday, talking to PM Rishi Sunak about the issues that constituents have raised with me.

“Protecting jobs and tackling inflation, securing a new hospital in Warrington, protecting green spaces, building new homes on brownfield sites and investing in skills for future generations.

“We also discussed the impact of changes made to the Fir Grove Hotel on the local community and the need to speed up processing of asylum claims.”