Court of Appeal to hear tomorrow applications by Home Office and hotel operator for permission to appeal Epping asylum seeker accommodation ruling

In Epping Forest District Council v Somani Hotels Ltd [2025] EWHC 2183 (KB), Mr Justice Eyre held that the balance of convenience favoured granting an interim injunction ahead of a full hearing at a later date.

Somani Hotels, the operator of the Bell Hotel, subsequently applied for permission to appeal.

The Court of Appeal is also scheduled to hear an application from the Secretary of State for the Home Department to appeal both Mr Justice Eyre’s decision on the interim injunction and his refusal to grant the Home Office permission to intervene in the case.

The appeal will follow if permission is granted.

The case is due to be live streamed.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said last week that the Government would challenge the ruling to enable the closure of asylum hotels to be carried out in a “managed and ordered way”.

The decision has prompted other councils, including Spelthorne Borough Council and Broxbourne Borough Council, to seek legal advice on potential challenges to the use of hotels in their areas.

Andrew Fraser-Urquhart KC of Francis Taylor Building told Local Government Lawyer that the reasoning in Eyre J’s judgment was “quite likely” to be relied on by other local authorities considering similar legal action.

Adam Carey