Overview

• The three-judge Court of Appeal panel set aside the 19 August injunction, calling it seriously flawed and warning it could incentivise disorder around asylum sites.
• The ruling means 138 asylum seekers can remain at the Bell Hotel past 12 September pending a full hearing on Epping Council’s planning claim in October.
• The Home Office and Somani Hotels argued the ban would disrupt a nationwide accommodation system and undermine the Home Secretary’s duty to prevent destitution.
• Ministers reiterated a pledge to end hotel use by the end of the Parliament, with official data showing about 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels at end‑June.
• Police prepared for further protests after weeks of demonstrations at the hotel, with Essex Police reporting 25 arrests and 16 charges linked to earlier unrest, as at least 13 councils weigh similar legal actions.