High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction blocking asylum seekers from lodging at the Bell Hotel after the council argued the hotel had become a public safety risk and breached planning law. Ten councils controlled by Reform UK said they would pursue similar legal action, and a Conservative-run council in Broxbourne is considering seeking similar remedies. Nigel Farage urged peaceful local protests over concerns about young undocumented males housed in hotels. South Norfolk District Council said it will instead use planning rules to prioritise housing families rather than single adult males. Government ministers said they will work with local authorities while the Home Office searches rapidly for alternative accommodation.
Councils across England are poised to take legal action to remove asylum seekers from hotels in their areas. It follows the High Court granting a district council a temporary injunction to block asylum seekers from lodging at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. All 10 councils controlled by Reform UK will "do everything in their power to follow Epping's lead", the party's leader Nigel Farage said. A Conservative-run council in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, also said it is considering taking similar action.
Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government will "continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns". Writing in the Telegraph, Farage urged people "concerned about the threat posed by young undocumented males living in local hotels" to "follow the example of the town in Essex" in peaceful protest.
Meanwhile, the leader of South Norfolk District Council, also run by the Conservatives, said the council will not go down the same route over a hotel housing asylum seekers in Diss which has been the subject of protest. Daniel Elmer said the authority was using planning rules to ensure it was families being housed in the area rather than single adult males.
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