Two Labour-run councils 'considering all options' to challenge migrant hotel use

Two Labour-run councils person said they are considering taking ineligible enactment to halt the usage of hotels to location migrants successful their areas aft Epping assembly won a impermanent injunction connected Tuesday.

The leaders of Wirral and Tamworth councils some accidental they are considering their ineligible options successful the aftermath of the Epping case, citing akin concerns astir the interaction of the hotels connected their section communities.

Epping Forest District Council won an interim High Court injunction to halt migrants from being accommodated astatine The Bell Hotel, aft arguing its owners did not person readying support to usage it to location migrants.

Politics latest: Judge successful Epping edifice lawsuit was Tory campaigner 4 times

In a statement, Paula Basnett, the Labour person of Wirral council, said: "Like galore different section authorities, we person concerns astir the Home Office's signifier of placing asylum seekers successful hotels without consultation oregon respect to section readying requirements.

"We are actively considering each options disposable to america to guarantee that immoderate usage of hotels oregon different premises successful Wirral is lawful and does not thrust roughshod implicit readying regulations oregon the wishes of our communities.

"Wirral has ever been arrogant of its grounds successful supporting families and those fleeing conflict, but it is unacceptable for the authorities to enforce unsuitable, short-term arrangements that disrupt communities and bypass section decision-making.

"If necessary, we volition not hesitate to situation specified decisions successful bid to support some residents and those seeking refuge."

Carol Dean, the Labour person of Tamworth Borough Council, said she understands the "strong feelings" of residents astir the usage of a section edifice to location asylum seekers, and that the assembly is "listening to their concerns and taking them seriously".

She pointed retired that nether the nationalist Labour government, the usage of hotels has halved from 402 to 210, with the purpose of stopping the usage of immoderate hotels by the extremity of this parliament.

But she continued: "Following the impermanent High Court injunction granted to Epping Forest District Council, we are intimately monitoring developments and reviewing our ineligible presumption successful airy of this important ruling."

Cllr Dean added that they had antecedently explored their ineligible options to situation the usage of the edifice but decided against them, arsenic impermanent injunctions were not being upheld.

However, the Epping ruling "represents a perchance important ineligible precedent", which is wherefore they are "carefully assessing" its value for Tamworth.

"We afloat recognise the UK authorities has a statutory work to accommodate radical seeking asylum. However, we person consistently maintained that the prolonged usage of edifice accommodation whitethorn not correspond the champion attack - either for our section assemblage oregon for the asylum seekers themselves," she said.

"We volition proceed to enactment constructively with authorities departments and each applicable agencies portion making definite the dependable of our assemblage is heard astatine the highest levels of government."

Last night, Conservative-run Broxbourne Council besides announced it was exploring its ineligible options, and the Reform UK person of Kent County said she was penning to chap leaders successful Kent to research whether they could perchance instrumentality ineligible enactment arsenic well.

Use of Epping edifice 'sidestepped nationalist scrutiny'

The premier curate and the location caput are nether immense unit to wide the asylum backlog and halt utilizing hotels crossed the state to location those waiting for their applications to beryllium processed.

Protests person sprung up astatine migrant hotels crossed the country. But The Bell Hotel successful Epping became a focal constituent successful caller weeks aft an asylum seeker housed determination was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Epping Forest District Council sought an interim High Court injunction to halt migrants from being accommodated astatine the hotel, owned by Somani Hotels Limited, connected the ground that utilizing it for that intent contravened section readying regulations.

The interim injunction demanded that the edifice beryllium cleared of its occupants wrong 14 days, but successful his ruling connected Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the impermanent block, portion extending the clip bounds by which it indispensable halt lodging asylum seekers to 12 September.

Somani Hotels said it intended to entreaty the decision, its barrister, Piers Riley-Smith, arguing it would acceptable a precedent that could impact "the wider strategy" of lodging asylum seekers successful hotels.

A authorities effort to hold the exertion was rejected by the High Court justice earlier connected Tuesday, Home Office barristers arguing the lawsuit had a "substantial impact" connected the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, successful performing her ineligible duties to asylum seekers.

But Mr Justice Eyre dismissed the Home Office's bid, stating that the department's engagement was "not necessary".

Read more:
Asylum seekers look being removed from Epping hotel
Labour odor soiled tricks implicit asylum edifice tribunal ruling
UK drops Apple encryption demands, says US spy chief

The justice said the hotel's owners "sidestepped the nationalist scrutiny and mentation which would different person taken spot if an exertion for readying support oregon for a certificate of lawful usage had been made".

He added: "It was besides deliberately taking the accidental that its knowing of the ineligible presumption was incorrect. This is simply a origin of peculiar value successful the circumstances of this case."

Reacting to Tuesday's judgment, borderline information curate Dame Angela Eagle said the authorities volition "continue moving with section authorities and communities to code morganatic concerns".

She added: "Our enactment continues to adjacent each asylum hotels by the extremity of this parliament."