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Epping council loses latest bid to stop housing asylum seekers at hotel
Epping Forest District Council spent £566,000 fighting the case but lost as courts upheld the Home Office's duty to house 103,426 asylum seekers nationwide by December 2025.
- On Friday, two Court of Appeal judges said the appeal could not go ahead, leaving The Bell Hotel, Epping, Essex available to house asylum seekers under the High Court ruling.
- EFDC sought to appeal Mr Justice Mould’s November decision that refused a permanent injunction against Somani Hotels, claiming planning breaches.
- The Court of Appeal judges set out their legal reasoning, saying EFDC's appeal was 'unarguable' and there is 'no arguable basis for criticising the judge's reasons'.
- The decision leaves EFDC facing a legal bill of £566,000, with council leader Chris Whitbread saying he will not pursue further legal action; judges noted the public interest in using the hotel for asylum seeker accommodation.
- The decision comes amid national plans to close asylum hotels, with over 100,000 asylum applications in 2025 and 103,426 in accommodation, as the number of hotels has halved.
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Epping council loses bid to bring appeal over hotel use for asylum seekers
Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) has lost a Court of Appeal bid to challenge a High Court ruling dismissing its attempt to stop an Essex hotel from being used to house asylum seekers.
·London, United Kingdom
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Epping council loses latest bid to stop housing asylum seekers at hotel
The council wanted to appeal a High Court ruling in November that asylum seekers can continue to be housed at the Essex hotel. But on Friday, two Court of Appeal judges said the appeal could not go ahead.
·United Kingdom
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Total News Sources8
Leaning Left0Leaning Right4Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center, 50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 50%
R 50%
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