Epping hotel scandal: 13 councils prepare to follow decision to evict asylum seekers

21 August 2025 , 06:38

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A number of local authorities are pledging to prevent asylum seekers from being accommodated in hotels after Epping Forest District Council achieved an unexpected win in the High Court following weeks of protests

Nigel Farage has claimed that all councils controlled by Reform UK will "do everything in their power" to block asylum hotels being set up in their areas after yesterday’s controversial Epping ruling.

Ministers are bracing for further legal challenges from councils across the country after the Essex local authority won a High Court injunction to evict asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel. The Home Office had warned the judge that an injunction could "interfere" with its legal obligations, while lawyers representing the hotel’s owner argued it would set a dangerous "precedent", leaving authorities with few options for providing emergency accommodation for migrants.

The shock ruling followed weeks of at-times violent protests outside the hotel, after a man from Afghanistan was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Now, the Reform UK leader has vowed his party would seek to block any hotels being used for asylum processing in the council areas it currently controls - and a Tory council has already pledged to follow Epping Forest District Council’s lead.

Which councils are planning to block asylum seekers?

The following Tory and Reform councils and mayoral areas have indicated that they are going to take action over asylum seekers staying in local accommodation:

Broxbourne Council - the Tory-led council has said it will seek legal advice "as a matter of urgency" about whether it "could take a similar action" over a hotel in Cheshunt.
Derbyshire - the council switched to Reform UK control for the first time in May. Reform’s cabinet member for Business Services, Stephen Reed, said after the local election that the group would "fight" the Home Office if asked to house more asylum seekers in local hotels.
Doncaster - as a Reform UK council, the city is signed up to the national pledge to obstruct any hotels being used to house asylum seekers.
Durham - a "temporary pause" was put on the purchase of new asylum accommodation in County Durham in June.
Greater Lincolnshire (mayoralty) - Dame Andrea Jenkyns called for asylum seekers to be housed in “tents” rather than hotels during her victory speech in May.
Hull & East Yorkshire (mayoralty) - fierce debate has raged for five years over the housing of asylum seekers at Hull’s Royal Hotel. Reform UK’s Luke Campbell was elected mayor of the combined region three months ago, though Hull City Council remains under Lib Dem control.
Kent - county council Leader Linda Kemkaran penned an official joint letter last week saying that Home Office asylum policy is creating a “them and us mentality“.
Lancashire - the Reform UK-controlled county council is said to be in an “advanced stage“ of planning to bring an Epping-style case before court.
Lincolnshire - the county council came under the control of Nigel Farage’s party in May.
North Northamptonshire - Reform UK’s Martin Griffiths, leader of the North Northamptonshire Council, signed the joint letter accusing the Home Office of a lack of “transparency” over asylum contracts.
Nottinghamshire - after being asked about the new Reform UK council’s plans for asylum seekers in May, leader Mick Barton said they would “take time to determine our position”.
Staffordshire - in June, leader of Staffordshire County Council Ian Cooper described the housing of asylum seekers as a “pressing issue” for his Reform UK local authority.
West Northamptonshire - all options about the future of hotels housing asylum seekers in West Northamptonshire are being considered, the leader of the Reform UK council said today.