Asylum hotels latest: More than a dozen protests at migrant hotels expected in UK

Locals in Epping have welcomed an injunction to block asylum seekers from being housed at a nearby hotel, but raised concerns the decision would only “kick the can down the road”.

Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary High Court injunction on Tuesday blocking asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.

Several protests and counter-protests have been held in the town since Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a then-resident at the hotel, was charged with trying to kiss a teenage girl, which he denies.

Following the decision on Tuesday, a crowd of about a dozen people gathered outside the hotel brandishing flags, shouting “We’ve won” and popping sparkling wine, while passing traffic honked their horns at them.

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It follows a High Court ruling on Tuesday that banned the use of The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, for asylum seekers after lawyers argued it had become a “feeding ground for unrest” following a string of violent protests at the site.

As Labour braces for a fresh round of legal action from revolting councils seeking similar bans in their areas, new Home Office figures reveal that the number of people claiming asylum in the past year soared to a record 111,000, while small boats continue to cross the Channel at increasing rates.

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A local council in Northern Ireland has started a probe into a hotel being used to house asylum seekers.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Council confirmed that an enforcement investigation has commenced.

It is understood it is into the legal planning status of the hotel in Co Antrim being used to house asylum seekers.

A council spokesperson said they have no further comment to make at this time.

Stand Up to Racism is preparing counter-protests to expected protests outside hotels across the country this weekend.

The group says it understands the protests are taking place in the following towns and cities:

Bournemouth, Cardiff, Chichester, Leeds, Leicester, Orpington, Portsmouth

Bristol, Cannock, Gloucester, Horley, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Maidstone, Newcastle, Tamworth and Wakefield

The Home Office was behind the curve on the legal action by Tory-led Epping Forest District Council, issuing a last-minute plea to no avail. There is gloom among ministers, who fear a dangerous precedent has been set; they are privately bemused that the ruling was based on the hotel owner’s failure to obtain a change of use permission under planning regulations. Ministers fear this will encourage more protests outside other asylum hotels, creating an opening for the far right.

The ruling shines an unwelcome spotlight on the small boats crisis. In fact, the government has had a reasonable run on this nightmarish issue in recent weeks, announcing a series of initiatives in the fallow summer period, including the potentially game-changing “one in, one out” returns agreement with France.

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Epping Forest District Council won an interim injunction to stop asylum seekers being hosted at The Bell Hotel, saying it had become a “feeding ground for unrest.”

The judgement requires all migrants currently housed in the hotel – around 140 men as of last month – to leave by 4pm on 12 September.

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The latest figures show that Manchester City Council was the local authority with the biggest numerical jump in people staying in hotels, from 874 at the end of March to 1,158 at the end of June.

This was followed by Birmingham City Council, which rose from 1,018 to 1,226 over the same period.

Both Warwick District Council and West Northamptonshire Council followed, seeing rises of 197 over the three-month period.

The former went from housing 168 asylum seekers in hotels to 365, while the latter saw a rise from 201 to 398.

Blackpool Borough Council had the same numerical rise as Epping Forest, both increasing by 171 people between March and June.

But the overall numbers for Blackpool are higher – housing 389 asylum seekers in hotels at the end of June, up from 218 at the end of March.

Demonstrations and counter-protests are expected to take place across the UK this weekend, with more than a dozen areas affected, The Independent understands.

A wave of protests are expected this weekend following the High Court ruling in favour of Epping Council blocking the use of The Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers.

It is understood that among the areas where demonstrations are due to take place are Chichester, Cannock, Wakefield and Tamworth, as well as Gloucester and Maidstone.

The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has risen by 8% under Labour on the same point last year, according to newly published data.

The figures come just days after a court ruled that more than 100 asylum seekers currently staying at a hotel in Essex should be removed from the accommodation after a council brought a legal case.

The High Court judgment has led to ministers bracing for further legal challenges from councils across the country and pressure on the Government as to where else they can house asylum seekers.

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