Reform-led councils consider fresh legal challenges to asylum-seeker hotels in their own area
Reform-led councils claim they are looking at how to bring legal challenges to asylum-seeker hotels in their own areas, after judges in Epping ruled against it.
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Nigel Farage had told them to oppose developments where they can after Tuesday’s judgement.
Epping Forest had applied to block migrants from staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping.
A temporary injection was granted at the High Court over a technical change when they failed to seek the correct planning permission.
It’s left the Home Office scrambling to find alternative accommodation - amid fears similar cases could take place elsewhere.
Now several councils have told LBC they are taking stock to see if they can launch similar challenges to try and move asylum seekers out of hotels in their own areas.
And Reform’s deputy, Richard Tice, has said he wants to see more protests take place in opposition to hotels being used.
Labour has vowed to shut all the hotels in time and will house them in other types of accommodation instead, but this is in short supply.
Reform insiders said West Northamptonshire Council are closer to preparing their own challenge.
Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: “We have always been clear with the Government and the public that the current use of three hotels in West Northamptonshire have never been suitable locations for asylum accommodation and place an unreasonable and unsustainable strain on our already-stretched local services.
“We also know these hotels cause concerns for our communities and I have raised these issues with the Home Office and written to the Deputy Prime Minister about the wider use of asylum accommodation within our community.
“We are currently considering the implications of this judgment to understand any similarities and differences and are actively looking at the options now available to us."
Linden Kemkaran, Leader of Kent County Council (KCC), said that planning decisions in their area are down to the district and borough councils, but they would be writing to urge them to act.
They said: “Following the recent High Court ruling granting an interim injunction to Epping Forest District Council, I am writing to all my fellow Leaders in Kent’s 12 Districts and Boroughs to ask them about any similar facilities operating in their individual areas and the history of planning permissions for these. “For nearly a decade now, Kent has been on the frontline of the migrant crisis. The government’s lack of a plan to deal with it successfully is putting an unreasonable and unsustainable strain on our already vastly overstretched public services.
"We will continue to support our District and Borough Councils and write to Government about the impact of these facilities on our residents and urge them for greater transparency and appropriate action.”
And Lincolnshire County Council said they hope “similar action” will be taken there.
Lincolnshire County Council is not the local housing authority or the planning authority for such matters, so a potential legal challenge would be a matter for Lincolnshire’s district councils.
However, the leader has written to the leaders of the seven district councils to offer support.
Cllr Sean Matthews said: "After the recent High Court ruling in favour of Epping Forest District Council, I hope similar action can be taken to prevent hotels in Lincolnshire being used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers too.
"I am writing to all district council leaders in the county to offer our full support in taking further action.”
There is currently one hotel within Lincolnshire – in Skegness, East Lindsey – being used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers.
Staffordshire County Council are planning to challenge asylum hotels in their area after the Epping ruling.
The Reform leader, Ian Cooper, told LBC they have written to boroughs to ask their views on two hotels - one in Tamworth, and one outside Cannock.
Speaking to Ben Kentish, he claimed the government were “dumping” people on their area.
He said: “I think the judgement was correct, it should be upheld, and it puts the ball firmly back in the government’s court.
"It's a national issue that should be dealt with by national government and it shouldn't be left to the local people of Staffordshire to suffer the consequences of national policy.
“The government have to get to grips with this and realise that the people of the United Kingdom don't particularly like large groups of individuals placed in their communities.
"We have evidence of the fact that people are at risk and things have happened, so the government need to get a grip and actually find a solution to the problem."
Lancashire County Council is awaiting further guidance on what to do next.
Stephen Atkinson, Leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "We will be considering carefully the decision at Epping Forrest and are awaiting further information about the ruling.
"We have recently written to the 12 district councils in Lancashire, asking if they would take on Article 4 directions in relation to Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs).
"This would mean that there would be an accurate record in the county of where these HMOs are sited, which is important to us at the County Council in terms of providing services.
"We understand how important this subject is to our residents, and it is important we have accurate information to enable us to serve people in the best way possible.”
And a Conservative-led Council is urgently looking at legal options too.
Corina Gander, the leader of Broxbourne council, said a hotel in the town of Cheshunt put “an enormous strain on local services”.
The Conservative councillor told the BBC: “We are going to be looking at the ruling of Epping yesterday and we will be expecting to go down the same path as Epping."