Asylum Hotels Face Blockade by Reform UK Councils

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Twelve Reform UK-controlled councils, along with one Conservative-led authority, have announced plans to pursue legal action to block hotels from being used as asylum seeker accommodation. The move follows a High Court ruling on 19 August 2025, which granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction against the Home Office’s use of The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.

The court found that converting the hotel into a migrant facility breached planning regulations and ordered the removal of asylum seekers from the premises by 12 September. The decision has set a precedent that other councils are now preparing to follow, challenging the government’s reliance on hotels to house asylum seekers. Currently, around 32,000 individuals are accommodated in 210 hotels across the UK, costing the Home Office approximately £2.9 billion annually.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the party’s councils, including those in Derbyshire, Doncaster, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, and West Northamptonshire, would “do everything in their power” to enforce planning laws to prevent similar hotel use. Broxbourne Council, a Conservative-led authority in Hertfordshire, has also sought urgent legal advice regarding a hotel in Cheshunt, citing pressure on local services.

In Kent, Reform UK’s county council leader Linden Kemkaran called on district authorities to examine hotels in their areas, while Staffordshire councillor Ian Cooper described asylum housing as a growing community concern. Greater Lincolnshire’s Reform UK mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, and Hull & East Yorkshire’s mayor, Luke Campbell, have also expressed opposition to the Home Office policy.

The legal action in Epping came after protests outside The Bell Hotel. Sixteen people were charged following disturbances linked to demonstrations, which took place after the arrest of an asylum seeker accused of serious offences.

The Home Office acknowledged that the ruling could affect its ability to fulfil its statutory duty to provide accommodation. Since 2020, the government has relied on hotels as a temporary measure to house asylum seekers, but local councils have raised complaints about limited consultation, strain on public services, and concerns over community safety.

Unite’s leaders argue that purpose-built facilities or alternative housing solutions would be more sustainable, while councils opposing the hotel use stress that planning law must be upheld.

As further legal challenges are prepared, the dispute highlights a growing conflict between local authorities and the central government over asylum policy. The outcome could influence how future asylum accommodation is managed and reshape the Home Office’s approach in the coming months.