The leader of Epping Forest District Council has urged other UK councils to take legal action against the use of asylum hotels in their area, following Epping’s High Court victory.
Speaking to GB News, Councillor Chris Whitbread declared this is “not the end” of the migrant hotel situation in Britain.
A High Court judge granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to block asylum seekers being housed at the Essex accommodation.
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The ruling means its owner Somani Hotels Limited must now remove migrants from the site within 14 days.
Expressing satisfaction with the court’s decision, Mr Whitbread told GB News: “This is about the residents. It’s about the businesses in Epping Forest, and it’s about making sure that we get treated fairly by this Government.
“This is the beginning of a process, and we have to make sure that we win the process. And I want to make sure that The Bell [hotel] doesn’t get used in future.”
Following Epping’s victory, the council leader has encouraged local authorities across the country to scrutinise their own planning regulations following this precedent-setting case.
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Mr Whitbread stated: “[Other councils] need to look at their own planning rules, because that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. This is a breach of planning, and that’s why we’ve been given a judgment today, and I would suggest that other councils will look at their own planning rules.
“We may be a bit of a test case. I have to say, I’ve been extremely disappointed in the Home Office from day one. They didn’t listen, they didn’t consult, they instructed and therefore that’s why they find themselves with this problem.”
The initial fortnight following the hotel’s designation for asylum seekers proved particularly challenging for the local community. Mr Whitbread described the period as “absolute hell for the town,” citing the regular deployment of riot police on Epping’s streets.
He explained: “This is not the end of the end of the situation. We need to make sure that people stay calm and if they’re going to demonstrate, demonstrate peacefully. The first two weeks of this process have been absolute hell for the town.
“We saw the requirement of police on our streets on a regular basis, riot police. It was awful. I don’t want to see my town go that way. I love Epping. I was born there. I love the town. It’s a great place to be. I don’t want to see that sort of demonstration.”
Mr Whitbread called for comprehensive immigration reform, stating: “They need to address the issue at the borders. Our country has always been a fair country. We’ve always welcomed legitimate asylum seekers but this is wrong. What’s going on is currently wrong, and the Government needs to get a grip.
“[The Home Office] has always been late to any discussions. They’ve never wanted to discuss the problem with us when we spoke to them the day after the incident occurred in Epping Forest, they didn’t really want to address it at all.
“The only answer the Home Office has got has been ‘we will continue to use hotels up to the end of this Parliament’, that’s four years away.”