Asylum hotel ruling set to go to appeal

LOSING asylum hotels must be “orderly” rather than through “piecemeal court decisions”, the Home Secretary has said as the Government plans to appeal against a court ruling blocking the use of an Epping hotel.

- PRESS ASSOCIATION REPORTERS

The Home Office will seek to appeal against the High Court's refusal to allow it to intervene in the case, and to then further appeal against the temporary injunction.

On Friday, Yvette Cooper said ministers are working to close hotels housing asylum seekers “as swiftly as possible” as part of an “orderly” programme that avoids creating problems for other areas.

“That is the reason for the Home Office appeal in this case, to ensure that going forward, the closure of all hotels can be done in a properly managed way right across the country - without creating problems for other areas and local councils,” she said.

It comes as Somani Hotels, the owner of the Bell Hotel in Epping, also plans to appeal against the court order blocking the use of its hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers. On Tuesday, the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council the temporary injunction to remove asylum seekers from the hotel in Essex from September 12.