Overview

• Somani Hotels and the Home Office are listed for a Court of Appeal hearing on Thursday over a High Court order halting asylum placements at the Bell Hotel.
• The Home Office will also contest the judge’s refusal to let it intervene after arguing the injunction created acute operational difficulties.
• Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction on August 19, saying the council’s planning case was strong enough to justify relief, with compliance required by September 12.
• Local unrest has persisted around the Bell Hotel, while resident Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu denies sexual assault-related charges as his trial opened Tuesday in Chelmsford and is set to conclude in Colchester on Wednesday.
• Ministers say they intend to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, as councils of various parties examine similar planning-based legal actions.