UK Court Overturns Asylum Hotel Ban Amid Calls for New Housing Plan

UK Court Overturns Asylum Hotel Ban Amid Calls for New Housing Plan
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A UK appeals court has overturned a High Court ruling that would have forced the relocation of asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, Essex, Africanews reported. The decision marks a victory for the government, which argued the move was necessary to prevent chaos in the country’s asylum accommodation system.

The decision comes as the use of hotels to house asylum seekers has become a politically charged issue, with protests taking place outside several such facilities. The government has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by the end of the current Parliament in 2029, a timeline that has been criticized as being too slow.

Meanwhile, the Refugee Council has proposed an alternative solution to address the housing crisis. The charity suggests a “one-off scheme” to grant temporary residency to asylum seekers from countries with high asylum grant rates, such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan, and Syria. The proposal, if implemented, could allow the government to close all asylum hotels by 2026, saving taxpayer money and providing a more stable living situation for those seeking refuge.

The council emphasized that this approach would allow residents to rebuild their lives in the UK, access stable housing and employment, and become active members of society, while reducing dependency on Home Office accommodations.

As of June 2025, nationals from these five countries made up 40 percent of hotel residents, with a total of 32,917 people living in Home Office accommodation sites across the UK.