Over 32,000 asylum seekers remain in UK hotels, down from 50,500 in 2023, but more than 210 sites are still in use. A British High Court order to evict migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping has emboldened other councils to consider legal action,

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.

The subject of asylum seekers being housed in hotels has come into sharp focus after a High Court ruling.On Tuesday, Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary injunction blocking asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in the Essex town.

NEIGHBOURS in a posh village have hit out after their local hotel was turned into migrant accommodation – leaving them “intimidated”. The locals of Trinity Close in Stanwell,

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage hailed the High Court decision in Epping as a ‘victory’ and said he hoped it ‘provides inspiration to others across the country’, while the shadow home secretary argued that residents have ‘every right to object’ to people being housed in their area.

Lawyers say the High Court ruling is likely to serve as a legal and procedural benchmark, shaping how migrant accommodation is managed

More councils are now vowing to launch legal challenges over the government’s use of asylum hotels, sparking chaos for Sir Keir Starmer, as Reform UK calls for protests.Councils have announced they are considering action to ban migrants from being housed in their areas after Epping Forest District Council won an interim High Court injunction to stop asylum seekers being housed at The Bell Hotel.

Epping council scored a victory after they were granted court approval to remove asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel