Asylum Seeker Hotels Face Wave of Legal Action Amid Increasing Tensions

Labour councils across England are assessing their legal options to ban hotels for migrants, following a landmark ruling in the Epping Forest District Council case, where a High Court injunction forced the removal of 136 asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. The ruling has sparked widespread protests, with police officers injured and multiple arrests made in recent weeks. As the government scrambles to find accommodation for asylum seekers, over 100,000 are currently being housed by the government as they wait for their claims, with just a third of them in hotels. The use of hotels for asylum seekers has been deemed unsustainable by councils, with many calling for alternative solutions. Charity Refugee Council has urged the Home Office to resolve asylum applications quickly to avoid further tensions.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 100,000 asylum seekers are currently being housed by the government as they wait for their claims, with just 32,345 people in hotels.
• 65% of asylum seekers in London are housed in hotels, with hotels costing the government up to £170 a night per asylum seeker, around six times higher than other forms of accommodation.
• At least eleven district or borough councils have said they will assess their legal options following the Epping ruling, with two more in conversation with the Home Office and two more monitoring developments in the legal bid.
• Reform-run county councils have also said they will push for legal action against any hotels in their areas.
• The Home Office minister, Dan Jarvis, has stated that asylum seekers in Epping will be "appropriately accommodated" at other sites, but failed to rule out that they would not be moved to other hotels.
• The government has already made progress on cutting the asylum backlog, with the number of people waiting for initial decisions on their applications dropping to 78,000 from its peak of 133,000 in 2022.
• The National Audit Office has found that use of former military bases to house asylum seekers is significantly more expensive than paying for hotel accommodation.
• Labour-led councils are considering their options, with some reviewing legal challenges to hotels in their areas.

Statistics:

• 32,345 asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels.
• 65% of asylum seekers in London are housed in hotels.
• The number of people waiting for initial decisions on their asylum applications has dropped to 78,000 from 133,000 in 2022.
• Use of former military bases to house asylum seekers costs significantly more than paying for hotel accommodation.
• Asylum seekers in hotels cost the government up to £170 a night.
• Reform-run county councils have said they will push for legal action against hotels in their areas.

Sources:

• Epping Forest District Council
• The Independent
• Home Office figures
• National Audit Office
• Refugee Council
• Care4Calais
• Spelthorne borough council
• Labour-led councils in Tamworth, Staffordshire, and Wirral
• Simon Tagg, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
• Cllr Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council
• South Norfolk council
• Mr Justice Eyre, High Court ruling.