Hillingdon Council is considering legal action after a High Court injunction found that a hotel housing asylum seekers constituted a change of use beyond its planning permission. The Bell Hotel ruling by Epping Forest District Council determined asylum accommodation in a hotel counts as a different use. Hillingdon's leader said legal advisers will review whether similar grounds exist locally. As of May 2025, 2,812 people receiving asylum support lived in Hillingdon hotels, a high borough total largely due to arrivals at Heathrow. The Home Office pays hotel bills and responsibility for evicted residents passes to the council.
Our head of legal will be reviewing the judgement to determine if a similar case can be brought.
We need to understand fully why the Epping case has succeeded, where others previously failed, before we can determine if those differentiating circumstances also apply in Hillingdon.
In an interview with the BBC earlier this year, councillor Steve Tuckwell described the number of asylum seekers being housed in the borough as a "huge burden".
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