West Northamptonshire Council to 'look at options' after High Court ruling on asylum seekers in Essex
Epping Forest District Council were granted a temporary injunction to remove asylum seekers staying at the Bell Hotel.
Last updated 20th Aug 2025
The leader of a council dealing with "an unreasonable and unsustainable strain" from asylum accommodation is "looking at the options now available" after Tuesday's High Court ruling to remove asylum seekers from one Essex hotel.
Leader of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) Mark Arnull said in a statement: "We have always been clear with the Government and the public that the current use of three hotels in West Northamptonshire have never been suitable locations for asylum accommodation and place an unreasonable and unsustainable strain on our already-stretched local services."
The Reform UK councillor added: "We also know these hotels cause concerns for our communities and I have raised these issues with the Home Office and written to the Deputy Prime Minister about the wider use of asylum accommodation within our community.
"We are currently considering the implications of this judgment to understand any similarities and differences and are actively looking at the options now available to us.
"As such I am unable to comment further at this stage but will issue a further update when able to do so.
"In the meantime, we will continue to work with partners in the police and in our communities to make sure that residents' concerns are heard and addressed."
On Tuesday (19 August), the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to remove asylum seekers staying at the Bell Hotel in Essex, which had been the focal point of protests over the past few weeks.