Government seeks to appeal court ruling on asylum hotel

The government is seeking to appeal the High Courts refusal to allow it to intervene in the case of a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Epping.

Earlier this week, Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary injunction to stop people being placed at the Bell Hotel.

The court refused an last minute effort from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to get the councils case dismissed.

If successful in its new appeal to be an interested party, the government is then expected to consider a further appeal against the ruling itself.

Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis said the government was committed to closing all asylum hotels, but added "we need to do that in a managed and ordered way".

"And thats why well appeal this decision," he said.

A senior Home Office source said it was a matter of "democracy" and that the judiciary should not be able to tell the government where it can and cant place asylum seekers.

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