US EditionAsylum Seekers to Be Removed From Essex Hotel as Council Granted Injunction
The council's injunction follows protests and planning concerns after an asylum seeker was charged with assault; 32,345 asylum seekers currently live in hotels nationwide, officials said.
- On Tuesday, the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction blocking asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel, with residents removed by September 12.
- After weeks of protests, Epping Forest District Council argued Somani Hotels breached planning rules by housing asylum seekers at Bell Hotel following charges against occupant Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu.
- Video and witness accounts show demonstrations escalated into violent disorder with graffiti, eggs, fireworks and assaults on police and security guards, while two hotel workers were 'set upon' by a group, raising local fears.
- If implemented, the injunction requires Somani Hotels Limited to stop housing asylum seekers within 14 days, prompting the company to appeal as Government ministers prepare for legal challenges nationwide.
- With about 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels, the ruling could prompt councils nationwide to seek similar actions, but they must show tangible harm to challenge Home Office duties amid pressure on approximately 210 hotels.
80 Articles
80 Articles
How British hotels became a flashpoint for a furious immigration debate
The Bell Hotel in Epping, just outside of London, gets no new bookings, yet is full every night. That’s because, since 2020, it has been used by the government to help house the thousands of asylum seekers who arrive each year on England’s southern coast and become trapped in administrative limbo.
Holly Whitbread: Epping shows Conservative councils how to fight back
Cllr Holly Whitbread is an Epping Forest District councillor and the Cabinet Member, Housing & Community. At the High Court yesterday, Epping Forest District Council secured a major victory. The court granted an interim injunction preventing the Bell Hotel in Epping from being used to house asylum seekers, and the defendant was denied leave to appeal. Conservative-led Epping Forest District Council committed to using every democratic, diploma…
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