Bedford mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative) has welcomed a High Court decision preventing an Essex hotel from being used to house asylum seekers without planning permission.
Writing on Facebook, mayor Wootton said the ruling in favour of Conservative-led Epping Forest District Council was “a victory for common sense and local democratic control.”
He confirmed Bedford Borough Council officers have been asked to examine the judgment to see if it could help the town challenge similar hotel use locally.
The case centred on the Bell Hotel in Epping, where a judge ruled that converting it into long-term asylum accommodation amounted to an unlawful change of use.
Councils across the country are now considering whether the ruling sets a precedent for further challenges.
Mayor Wootton added: “Because much of this is legal (sic) and will soon be in the hands of lawyers I hope that it is of no surprise that I am being brief with this comment.
“When I am able to share more information, I will.”
Bedfordians commenting on the post said the mayor was carrying out “a political stunt” in “a desperate attempt to appeal to right-wing voters”. Another argued that it’s “not a stunt if backed by the majority”.
Some also expressed concerns that if asylum seekers are forced to leave hotels, they’ll be placed in HMOs in the town centre. They added that “the council should consider not granting any further licenses for HMOs in Bedford”.
Another called out an earlier version of the mayor’s post, which claimed there had been a “rapid expansion of their [hotel] usage by the Home Office under this Government.”
While the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels has risen by 8% since Labour came to power, Home Office data released this month revealed there were 32,059 asylum seekers in hotels at the end of June, up from 29,585 in June 2024.
However, the proportion of all asylum seekers staying in hotels remained the same at 30%.
The mayor later amended his post to say “their continued usage by the Home Office under this Government.”
Epping decision
About 140 migrants must leave The Bell Hotel in Epping by 12 September after the High Court imposed a temporary injunction against them staying there.
However, lawyers for the hotel and home secretary confirmed in court they wished to appeal against the injunction before a full hearing was listed in the autumn.
Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest District Council, which applied for the injunction, said he would “find the money” to cover any appeal process, according to reports by the BBC.
Thousands of people have protested near the hotel after an asylum seeker lodging there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.
The temporary injunction was imposed after the council argued the hotel had become a public safety risk, as well as a breach of planning law.
The Home Office made an 11th-hour effort to get the council’s case thrown out at Tuesday’s court hearing, but it was rejected by Mr Justice Eyre.
Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government would “continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns”.
The ruling created concern among the government that it could face a tidal wave of legal challenges from other local councils whose districts have asylum seekers housed in hotels
By John Guinn, Local Democracy Reporter and
Paul Hutchinson, Bedford Independent
