The repurposing of this hotel as a
so-called hostel has now been halted by
a high court judge. And in Epic, they're
elated.
>> Believing they have now set an example
as a temporary injunction means asylum
seekers will no longer be housed at the
Bell Hotel.
>> We put a lot of work into this by
protesting every week and getting out
there for the safety of our children and
our community. This is what the people
of Epin have done. They've made a
change. They've come out. They've stuck
together. The community has showed how
passionate we are. And that is what's
getting this shut down.
>> The government is going to wake up
tomorrow. The home is going to wake up
tomorrow and realize what a seismic
ruling that was today. The job is done.
>> I'll go to every hotel around the
country. I'll go around the whole
country and do the same. I will support
every single hotel in every single town,
city in in England.
Last month, the bell became a catalyst
for protests after two of their
residents were charged with sexual
offenses, one involving a 14-year-old
girl. While some demonstrations
descended into violent disorder, the
voices behind the scenes grew louder,
forcing the council to confront the
hotel owners in a case that reached the
high court. Even an 11th hour
intervention from the home office wasn't
enough to stop the temporary win. But
the council leader sees this as a battle
he shouldn't have had to fight.
>> What is your message to the protesters
in Eping who may well see this as, as
you say, a victory or a small step in
the right direction? What's your message
to them? And did you take into account
their strength of feeling when you went
about this case?
>> I took I took into account the strength
of feeling of residents in Eping Forest.
Um, my local local people have been
contacting me directly and discussing
this issue over the recent weeks. This
is not a victory today. This is a a a
ruling for common sense
>> rather than common sense for those who
work with asylum seekers. It's more of a
damaging decision. We deal with people
like this day in day out. And we know
them to be victims of war, torture,
persecution, conflict, modern day
trafficking, modern day slavery, you
name it. And to put them in a position
like this where they're under threat is
absolutely abysmal. It makes you think,
where's the compassion? Where's the
kindness? Where's the decency? And the
problem with this is if violent disorder
works here, where does it stop?
>> But others have already been inspired.
Sky News has learned of more local
authorities planning similar action.
Many will be wondering if we'll start to
see a ripple effect of other councils
across the country seeking to block
hotels in their area. But this victory
hinged on a point of planning law about
how this site was being used rather than
being driven by unrest. The home office
and the hotel owners have 24 days to
file an appeal after their bruising
loss. In a statement, the border
security minister said, "This government
inherited a broken asylum system. At the
peak, there were over 400 hotels open.
We will continue working with local
authorities and communities to address
legitimate concerns. Our work continues
to close all asylum hotels by the end of
this parliament. We will carefully
consider this judgment. As this matter
remains subject to ongoing legal
proceedings, it would be inappropriate
to comment further at this stage. There
are now some 200 hotels housing
migrants. Communities across the UK are
considering their next move.