The Home Office is planning to house more migrants in Epping despite a summer which has seen sex attacks, protests and local fury, the town’s council leader has said.
In a letter to top-ranking ministers, Epping Forest District Council boss Chris Whitbread has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “crass insensitivity” over the plans.
Mr Whitbread says that Home Office contractor Clearsprings is trying to procure eight flats for “asylum seeker” families.
He has urged the PM, Home Secretary, Deputy PM and Housing Secretary to step in and stop Clearsprings – and has pointed to how The Bell in Epping became the centre of “public protests, disturbances, ongoing demonstrations and significant community tensions” following Hadush Kebatu’s sexual assaults earlier this year.
In a letter to the four, he said: “The impact of the housing of asylum seekers within our district is hard to overstate.
“Only this week, the Home Secretary has announced a radical change in Government policy which must in significant part have been influenced by the events in Epping.
“The appearance of such crass insensitivity to our community is astounding.
“The last year has been catastrophic for our community, with fear, anxiety and protests spilling out from Epping across our district to include areas such as Waltham Abbey, Loughton and Buckhurst Hill.
“As the district council and our local partners work hard to stabilise the situation before we can even begin the process of recovery, it is beyond belief that Clearsprings and the Home Office could be so tone deaf to the concerns and anxieties of our residents.
“These proposals to procure no less than eight properties for the accommodation of more asylum seekers within our district are incomprehensible.
“I urge you to reconsider, intervene and stop this ludicrous proposal before it goes any further.”
Epping became the heart of nationwide protests this summer following Kebatu’s attacks in the town.
The asylum seeker had assaulted a 14-year-old girl and an adult woman.
He was found guilty of five offences in September 2025 and sentenced to 12 months behind bars – before being mistakenly released and finally deported on October 28.
Since his attacks, political pressure had piled on the Home Office and Home Secretary to step in and fundamentally change the UK’s asylum system.
Last week, Shabana Mahmood announced plans for a major asylum system overhaul – as well as tougher rules to disincentivise mass legal migration like that seen under the “Boriswave”.
The Home Office insists it is furious at the number of illegal migrants and asylum hotels across Britain, and has committed to close asylum hotels and move migrants into “more suitable accommodation such as military bases”.
“This Government inherited an asylum system in chaos, with tens of thousands of individuals in hotels waiting for their claims to be heard,” the department says.
“We are continuing to engage with local authorities and stakeholders to address the concerns of those most impacted by the sites.”
However, it secured a High Court victory last week to let The Bell continue housing asylum seekers – which was branded “shocking” and a “let down” to locals.
GB News has approached the Home Office for further comment following Mr Whitbread’s letter.