Rows of fencing now surround The Bell Hotel in Epping, once a quiet spot in Essex, now at the centre of national debate. Police maintain a steady presence following a summer of unrest that has drawn attention far beyond the local area.
The spotlight has widened as protests are set to take place this weekend outside at least a dozen hotels accommodating asylum seekers across the country. Demonstrations are expected in Chichester, Cannock, Wakefield, Tamworth, Gloucester, and Maidstone, with counter-protests being organised by anti-racism campaigners determined to resist what they see as growing hostility from far-right groups.
Police officers stand guard outside The Bell Hotel, on the day of anti-immigration demonstration, following Tuesday’s High Court ruling in London that granted a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers from being housed at the site, in Epping, Britain, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
The surge in action follows a High Court decision earlier this week, which granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction preventing the continued use of The Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers. The court’s ruling cited planning breaches, but it comes after weeks of protests, ignited when an asylum seeker living at the hotel was charged in connection with a serious offence involving a minor.
The case has triggered similar concerns in other parts of the country. Several councils are now reviewing their legal options. Reform UK has pledged that all of its 12 council-run authorities will seek comparable court orders, while Broxbourne Council in Hertfordshire-led by the Conservatives-has indicated it may follow the same path.
The latest figures from the Home Office show that, as of June 2025, more than 32,000 asylum seekers are being accommodated in hotels across the UK. This represents a slight decline since spring, but a notable increase compared to the same time last year.
Protesters take part in an anti-immigration demonstration, following Tuesday’s High Court ruling in London that granted a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers from being housed at the The Bell Hotel, in Epping, Britain, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
According to government statistics, in the twelve months up to June 2025, the UK received 111,084 asylum applications, marking a 14% rise compared to the year ending June 2024. This figure also surpasses the previous record of 103,081 applications set back in 2002 by 8%.
The rise is largely attributed to continued high numbers of small boat arrivals via the Channel. The government maintains it will end the use of hotels entirely by 2029, promising instead to build dedicated accommodation and ramp up measures aimed at reducing illegal crossings. In a statement, Border Security Minister, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “This Government inherited a broken asylum system, at the peak there were over 400 hotels open. We will continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns. Our work continues to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament.
“We will carefully consider this judgment. As this matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
In view of High Court ruling in favour of Epping Forest District Council’s temporary injunction to stop a hotel in Epping being used to accommodate asylum seekers, Broxbourne Borough Council confirmed to TO VIMA is now taking legal advice about whether it could take similar action.
Speaking to TO VIMA, Baroness (Ruth) Lister of Burtersett, a member of the House of Lords, said: “This is both predictable and depressing. Instead of talking about and treating asylum-seekers as criminal ‘others’ it’s time we recognised them as fellow human beings seeking sanctuary. As such, the government has a responsibility to ensure they do not suffer destitution while their asylum claim is being considered. Hotels, which research shows often provide asylum-seekers with very poor living conditions, may not be the answer but nor is homelessness.”
A woman holds a placard during an anti-immigration demonstration, following Tuesday’s High Court ruling in London that granted a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers from being housed at the The Bell Hotel, in Epping, Britain, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Jenny Phillimore, Professor of Migration and Superdiversity at the University of Birmingham told TO VIMA: “The Government was already committing to ending the use of hotel accommodation by 2029. It takes time to replace a system so these latest developments are highly problematic. There is plenty of opportunity to overturn today’s ruling in the Appeal Courts. Not all local authorities will choose to end the use of hotels in their municipality and cases may have to be taken on an area by area or even hotel by hotel basis. Whatever the outcome there is a clear need to find alternatives. Using hotels has resulted in inhumane living conditions for asylum-seekers and is unpopular with many local people with anti-migrant rhetoric often based on false information stirred up by right-wing agitators.
“Whatever alternatives are identified these are likely to attract local opposition with urgency forcing accommodation providers to house asylum-seekers in ever more over-crowded accommodation even worse than current provision. There are few housing options in the UK so accommodation providers are likely to look to repurpose disused buildings such as university accommodation or army camps.”
A person holds a placard during an anti-immigration demonstration, following Tuesday’s High Court ruling in London that granted a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers from being housed at the The Bell Hotel, in Epping, Britain, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Jonathan Darling, Professor of Human Geography at Durham University, told TO VIMA: “The tensions that have surrounded the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping Forest are symptomatic of a failure to house asylum seekers in secure and dignified accommodation. A reliance on hotels as emergency accommodation in Britain is due to the failure of the last government to process asylum claims. This means that people have been trapped in the asylum system for long periods of time, unable to work and unable to secure their own housing. The communities in which many of these hotels are located were rarely communicated with by government, providing fertile ground for anti-migrant organising. The outcome has been an accommodation model that works for no one. Communities are concerned about the expense of hotels and security, while asylum seekers are left to endure hostile surroundings, protests, and indefinite periods of time in temporary, often poor-quality accommodation. There are no easy answers to this problem, and there is a wider housing crisis across Britain, but this case should force a rethink from government. The priority should be to work closely with local government to provide safe and secure community-based housing wherever possible.”
Human rights lawyer Shoaib Khan told TO VIMA: “The High Court’s injunction blocking asylum seekers from staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping carries far wider implications. Already we are seeing other councils saying they will take legal action too. Although the legal case was built on the argument that the hotel had changed use without permission, the protests and unrest around the hotel were central to the evidence of “harm.” This risks setting a precedent where disorder – rather than principle – dictates where vulnerable people can live. It effectively rewards those who protest loudest. What is also striking is the sudden shift in tone: politicians and commentators who usually condemn judges for “interfering” in asylum policy are now celebrating this ruling because it suits their agenda. Usually, judges are criticised by the hard Right for blocking government policy or dictating to the government what it can or cannot do, but here those same groups are praising a judge who did exactly that. But the real question is being ignored in all this celebration: if not hotels, then where should these people be housed? Councils and local people object to community dispersal too, so asylum seekers risk being shunted from one unsuitable setting to another, with no clear plan. This is not just a logistical headache for the Home Office – it raises the risk of breaching the UK’s human rights obligations. People seeking asylum are entitled to safe, dignified housing under both domestic and international law, and this decision make that harder to achieve. Hotels are obviously a poor solution – they are costly, isolating, and fuel resentment. But surely we need to have the respectable, decent, humane alternative in place before we evict these vulnerable people from hotels too.”
