LONDON 

The UK Home Office is preparing to appeal against a high court ruling that blocks asylum seekers from being housed in a hotel in Essex.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the government remained committed to closing all asylum hotels by the end of this parliament, but insisted the process had to be carried out in a “managed and ordered way.”

Speaking to British media on Friday, he said: “This government will close all asylum hotels and we will clear up the mess that we inherited from the previous government. We’ve made a commitment that we will close all of the asylum hotels by the end of this parliament, but we need to do that in a managed and ordered way. And that’s why we’ll appeal this decision.”

The case centers on the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex, where 140 asylum seekers are currently staying.

The high court ruled in favor of Epping council, which argued the hotel’s continued use “poses a clear risk of further escalating community tensions already at a high, and the risk of irreparable harm to the local community.”

The judgment means residents must leave the site on Sept. 12.

The Home Office had sought to intervene in the case, warning that the outcome could “substantially impact” its ability to accommodate asylum seekers in hotels nationwide.

Since the ruling, at least half a dozen other councils have said they are considering similar legal action.

The row comes after thousands of people gathered near the Bell hotel in recent weeks to protest, following the charging of an asylum seeker with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in the town.

Counter-protests are also expected outside hotels across the country in the coming days.

Official figures published on Thursday show that 32,059 asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels – an 8% rise since Labour came to power last year, although still below the 2023 peak.

At the same time, asylum applications in the year to June reached a record 111,000.

The government is legally obliged to provide accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while they await a decision on their claims. Rising arrivals in recent years have led to increasing reliance on hotels, a practice Labour has pledged to end.