AROUND 30 migrant hotels are bracing for a wave of protests as campaigners are bolstered by this week’s landmark ruling.
Unhappy residents are trying to push through a similar move to that which will see The Bell Hotel in Epping closed in just a few weeks.
ReutersThe Bell Hotel in Epping will be closed in just a few weeks[/caption]
Three large migrant hotels are yards from the seafront in Bournemouth
n.cProtesters outside of The Bell Hotel in Epping[/caption]
The High Court ordered the removal of migrants from the hotel in Essex, which has become the face of the row over asylum seeker accommodation.
It was the centre of protests after a migrant being housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl – which he denies.
Several other demonstrations cropped up around the UK as communities rebelled against the migrant hotels in their area.
It is understood that there is a fresh wave of protests – at least 27 – planned outside of hotels this Bank Holiday weekend.
However anti-racism groups have warned towns and cities could experience the most disruption since last year’s summer riots.
Councils are also pushing back, following the lead of Epping Forest Council, which argued for the hotel to be closed to reduce the threat of “violent protests” and for the safety of those living nearby.
Mr Justice Eyre ruled the owners may have breached planning rules by housing migrants rather than paying customers.
The Home Office argued that granting this application risks “acting as an impetus for further violent protests”.
The High Court ruling threatens Labour’s asylum seeker plans, as more and more councils express an intention to follow suit.
And huge pressure from councils run by every political party could hasten the end of the hated Home Office policy.
Even Labour-controlled Wirral and Tamworth confirmed they are considering action against migrant hotels.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch issued a rallying cry to 33 Conservative councils while Reform and Lib Dem authorities are considering legal options.
In her message to Tory councils, Ms Badenoch said: “The Epping Hotel injunction is a victory for local people led by a good Conservative council working hard for their community. This is the difference.
“I’m encouraging Conservative council leaders to take the same steps if your legal advice supports it.”
Responding to Ms Badenoch, a Labour spokesperson said: “This is desperate and hypocritical nonsense from the architects of the broken asylum system.
The High Court judgement explained
HIGH Court Judge Mr Justice Eyre has ruled that the owners of The Bell Hotel – Somani Hotels Limited – might have breached planning rules by housing migrants at the site, rather than paying customers.
After a hearing in London’s High Court last week, Mr Justice Eyre said Somani Hotels Limited had “sidestepped the public scrutiny and explanation” by not applying for planning permission for the migrant hotel.
In his judgement, he said that while the council had not “definitively established” that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules, “the strength of the claimant’s case is such that it weighs in favour” of granting the injunction.
He said the fear of crime being committed by those accommodated there was a “relevant factor”, albeit one with “limited weight”.
In his judgement, he said it is “understandable” that recent arrests “form a basis for the local concern”.
He added: “The arrests have occurred in a relatively short period and have arisen when no more than 138 asylum seekers are accommodated in the Bell at any time.
“The consequence is that the fear said to be felt by local residents cannot be dismissed as solely speculation based on fear of what might happen from an activity which has not yet begun.”
The judge also said that had the hotel owners, Somani Hotels Limited, applied for planning permission, it would have given Epping Forest District Council and local residents a chance to air their concerns.
Philip Coppel KC, for the authority, said the situation was “wholly unacceptable” and provided a “feeding ground for unrest”.
He said: “There has been what can be described as an increase in community tension, the catalyst of which has been the use of the Bell Hotel to place asylum seekers.”
Mr Coppel continued: “It is not the asylum seekers who are acting unlawfully.
“It is the defendant, by allowing the hotel to be used to house asylum seekers.”
He added: “It really could not be much worse than this.”
The judge granted a temporary injunction in his ruling, meaning the hotel has to be cleared of its occupants by September 12.
“Under the Tories, the number of asylum hotels in use rose as high as 400.
“There are now half that and 20,000 fewer asylum seekers in hotels than at their peak.
“We have removed over 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK and are putting in the hard graft to smash the gangs running the vile small boats trade.”
If more councils take action, ministers are unsure where more than 30,000 people in hotel rooms would live.
However Brighton and Hove City Council refused to launch a legal bid, saying it was a “proud city of sanctuary” and will continue to welcome and support asylum seekers.
Jacob Taylor, the local authority’s deputy leader, said “We will not comment on the location of hotels being used by the Home Office to provide temporary accommodation to people seeking asylum.
“I believe to do so in the current climate is irresponsible and risks causing division and unrest in our communities at a time when more than ever we need to bring people together.”
While some county councils will push for the closures, the legal steps to challenge the use of hotels falls to district and borough councils.
The Local Government Association called on the Home Office to work “much more closely” with authorities on asylum accommodation decisions.
The Home Office is scrambling to find accommodation for up to 138 men housed in the Bell Hotel in Epping before the September 12 deadline to empty it.
Pressed to give details of these contingency options, Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis said: “With respect, the legal judgment was only handed down yesterday.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has written to Yvette Cooper to demand that those in the Bell Hotel are not moved to apartments, houses in multiple occupation, or social housing which is “much needed for British people”.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office – which has a legal obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute – can move people to alternatives such as hotels and large sites, like former military bases.
Amid hotel protests, campaigners including Rape Crisis and Refuge have warned conversations about violence against women and girls are being “hijacked by an anti-migrant agenda” which they argued fuels divisions and harms survivors.
Record 111,000 migrants claimed asylum last year
It comes after it was revealed that a record number of people claimed asylum in the UK in the last year – with a massive 32,000 currently living in taxpayer-funded hotels.
Home Office data shows that 111,000 people claimed asylum in the year ending June 2025 up 14 per cent on last year.
It is higher than the previous recorded peak of 103,000 which was set in 2002.
The number of people claiming asylum in this country has almost doubled since 2021.
And just under half of all those applying for protection in the UK are granted it at the initial decision stage – 48 per cent.
It is lower than in 2022 when 77 per cent of those applying were given the green light.
Half of all those came via irregular routes – such as on a small boat or in the back of a lorry – while 37 per cent claimed asylum after previously arriving on a valid visa.
In the year up to March, the UK was the fifth biggest recipient of asylum seekers in the UK after Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
The sky-high figures come as the number of migrants being housed in hotels has INCREASED since Labour came into power.
A total of 32,059 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels at the end of Labour’s first year in Government up 8 per cent on the same point 12 months ago.
Around 210 hotels are currently open across the UK despite Labour’s manifesto pledge to end their use.
In the year to June, the top five nationalities of people arriving in Dover were Afghan, Eritrean, Iranian, Syrian and Sudanese.
GettyMore than 50,000 people have crossed the Channel on small boats under Labour[/caption]
ReutersProtesters attend an anti-immigration demonstration in Epping[/caption]
GettyReform Party leader Nigel Farage[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
