UK government wins appeal over ruling that would have blocked asylum-seekers staying in hotel

LONDON AP Britain s Court of Appeal has overturned a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum-seekers from being housed at a hotel northeast of London that has been the site of protests for weeks In a ruling Friday the three-person panel backed the authorities s appeal after finding flaws made by a High Court judge last week Under that ruling the asylum-seekers staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping would have had to leave by Sept The Labour ruling body via the Home Office and Somani Hotels which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping Essex sought to challenge the temporary injunction that was granted on the basis of local planning laws Though the local planning laws in Essex may not apply elsewhere other councils including Labour-run officers have since publicly disclosed their intention to seek legal advice over whether they could achieve similar injunctions for hotels in their areas The Bell Hotel has become the epicenter for an issue that s become a key political issue in the U K following the sharp rise in the number of asylum-seekers arriving on small boats across the English Channel over the past limited years Earlier Friday Wellbeing Minister Stephen Kinnock disclosed the immediate closure of asylum hotels could lead to newcomers living destitute in the streets but that the ruling body is looking for alternative options to house the asylum-seekers The administration has a statutory duty to house people seeking asylum Source