Epping hotel controversy: 13 councils to jump on ruling to remove asylum seekers

Nigel Farage has claimed that all councils controlled by Reform UK will "do everything in their power" to block asylum hotels being set up in their areas after yesterday's controversial Epping ruling.

Ministers are bracing for further legal challenges from councils across the country after theEssex local authority won a High Court injunction to evict asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel. The Home Office had warned the judge that an injunction could "interfere" with its legal obligations, while lawyers representing the hotel's owner argued it would set a dangerous "precedent", leaving authorities with few options for providing emergency accommodation for migrants.

The shock ruling followed weeks of at-times violent protests outside the hotel, after a man from Afghanistan was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Now, the Reform UK leader has vowed his party would seek to block any hotels being used for asylum processing in the council areas it currently controls - and a Tory council has already pledged to follow Epping Forest council's lead.

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Which councils are planning to block asylum seekers?

The following Tory and Reform councils and mayoral areas have indicated that they are going to take action over asylum seekers staying in local accommodation:

• Broxbourne Council - the Tory-led council has said it will seek legal advice "as a matter of urgency" about whether it "could take a similar action" over a hotel in Cheshunt.

• Derbyshire - the council switched to Reform UK control for the first time in May. Reform's cabinet member for Business Services, Stephen Reed, said after the local election that the group would "fight" the Home Office if asked to house more asylum seekers in local hotels.

• Doncaster - as a Reform UK council, the city is signed up to the national pledge to obstruct any hotels being used to house asylum seekers.

• Durham - a "temporary pause" was put on the purchase of new asylum accommodation in County Durham in June.

• Greater Lincolnshire (mayoralty) - Dame Andrea Jenkyns called for asylum seekers to be housed in “tents” rather than hotels upon election in May.

• Hull & East Yorkshire (mayoralty) - fierce debate has raged for five years over the housing of asylum seekers at Hull’s Royal Hotel. Reform UK’s Luke Campbell was elected mayor of the combined region three months ago, though Hull City Council remains under Lib Dem control.

• Kent - county council Leader Linda Kemkaran penned an official joint letter last week saying that Home Office asylum policy is creating a "them and us mentality".

• Lancashire - the Reform UK-controlled county council is said to be in an "advanced stage" of planning to bring a similar case before court.

• Lincolnshire - the county council came under the control of Nigel Farage’s party in May.

• North Northamptonshire - Reform UK’s Martin Griffiths, leader of the North Northamptonshire Council, signed the joint letter accusing the Home Office of a lack of “transparency” over asylum contracts.

• Nottinghamshire - after being asked about the new Reform UK council’s plans for asylum seekers in May, leader of the council Mick Barton said they would “take time to determine our position”.

• Staffordshire - in June, leader of Staffordshire County Council Ian Cooper described the housing of asylum seekers as a “pressing issue” for his Reform UK local authority.

• West Northamptonshire - all options about the future of hotels housing asylum seekers in West Northamptonshire are being considered, the leader of the Reform UK council said today.

What has Nigel Farage said?

In a column for the Telegraph this morning, the Reform UK leader urged people to hold "peaceful protests outside the migrant hotels" and "put pressure on local councils to go to court to try and get the illegal immigrants out".

He added: "I can say today that the English local councils controlled by the party I lead, Reform UK, will be doing everything in their power to follow Epping’s lead."

What will the government do?

Number 10 has already announced plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into houses of multiple occupancy into other forms of accommodation by the end of this parliament - but the new ruling is likely to give the Home Office a headache as to what to do in the meantime.

Security minister Dan Jarvis told Times Radio today: "We're looking at a range of different contingency options following from a legal ruling that took place yesterday, and we'll look closely at what we're able to do."

Epping Forest council had successfully argued that the use of the Bell Hotel for asylum seekers was not a permitted use of the hotel for planning purposes.

Asked whether other migrant hotels have the proper planning permission, Mr Jarvis said: "Well, we'll see over the next few days and weeks. Other local authorities will be considering whether they wish to act in the same way that Epping (Forest) District Council have.

"I think the important point to make is that nobody really thinks that hotels are a sustainable location to accommodate asylum seekers. That's precisely why the Government has made a commitment that, by the end of this Parliament, we would have phased out the use of them."