Asylum Seekers to Be Booted from Bell Hotel in Epping After Court Ruling
Asylum seekers housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping face eviction within 14 days. A High Court judge has granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction banning the hotel’s use for migrant accommodation.
High Court Slams Government Bid to Delay Eviction
The ruling came down on Tuesday afternoon, rejecting the Government’s attempt to stall the case. The court ordered that all current occupants must leave the Bell Hotel within two weeks.
The tense saga follows protests outside the hotel in recent weeks, sparked by the arrest of Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, an asylum seeker at the site. He faces charges of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, which he denies. His trial is scheduled later this month.
Council Pounds the Table: “Hotel No More Than a Borstal”
Representing the council, barrister Philip Coppel KC slammed the hotel’s use for asylum housing as a planning breach causing “great anxiety” among locals.
“The problem is getting out of hand… The hotel is no more a hotel than a borstal to a young offender,” Coppel told the court.
The council’s key argument: the building was not being operated as a proper commercial hotel, but effectively a migrant hostel without permission.
Hotel Owners Hit Back, Call Injunction “Draconian”
Somani Hotels Limited, owners of the Bell Hotel, argued the court order was “draconian” and risked causing hardship to current residents. Their lawyer, Piers Riley-Smith, revealed the contracts with the Home Office to house asylum seekers saved the hotel financially, which in August 2022 was running at just 1% occupancy from paying guests.
Riley-Smith stressed that the arrangement followed Home Office advice and pointed out the hotel had housed migrants before in 2020–2021 and since 2022 without official enforcement action from the council.
What’s Next? Appeal and Forced Evictions Loom
Somani Hotels confirmed they will appeal the ruling. But for now, no new asylum seekers can be taken on, and those currently living at the Bell Hotel must leave within 14 days.
The case highlights mounting tensions between local councils and central government over housing asylum seekers in hotels. Campaigners warn this legal showdown signals a wider crisis as councils increasingly turn to courts to stop such arrangements.
