Overview
- Mr Justice Eyre dismissed the council’s 32-page claim, finding that the one-per-200 residents ratio was a planning guide rather than a binding cap.
- The judgment recorded that the Home Office accepts Coventry’s numbers should fall and is working to broaden dispersal across the UK.
- The court said urgent accommodation needs can arise at short notice, meaning location may carry little weight in decision-making.
- Days earlier, Mr Justice Mould refused an injunction sought by Epping Forest District Council to block use of the Bell Hotel in Essex for asylum seekers.
- Reported Home Office data show roughly 110,000 people were housed by the end of 2024 with accommodation costs near £4.2 million per day, including nearly 40,000 in hotels.