A LIBERAL Democrat councillor has hit out at MP for his statement on the Home Office’s decision to use a hotel on the edge of Bridgwater to house asylum seekers.

Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has recently commented on the Home Office’s new facility for asylum seekers.

Councillor Adam Dance, the Liberal Democrat lead member for Public Health and Equalities on Somerset County Council, has hit back at his remarks.

Cllr Dance said: “Ian Liddell-Grainger seems to have forgotten that his Conservative party runs the government, and this crisis policy is entirely of his own party’s making.

“It beggars belief that the first Somerset County Council knew about this facility was when a member of staff at the hotel messaged their local councillor on social media.

“How are we supposed to coordinate a response in our communities and for the asylum seekers if the home office doesn’t have the courtesy to pick up the phone?

“Using words like ‘flood’ and ‘fear’ in a statement about migrants is clearly intended to inflame community tensions. A responsible MP would be looking to allay community concerns.

“He says his main concern is about the pressure on local services – we share that concern. With government funding to local councils slashed by 40 per cent over fourteen years, it is not surprising that services are under pressure.

“It is ironic that these comments come only a week after his Government gave an £18 billion break to bankers’ bonuses. So much for Mr Liddell-Grainger’s social conscience.

“It is cruel to try to shift the blame onto those coming to our country seeking a safer place to live, rather than accept responsibility for his own government’s failures.”