Council takes Home Office to task as leader calls for calm
Epping Forest District Council has repeated its call for the Home Office to close asylum seeker hotels.
The council has:
- Written directly to the Home Secretary
- Held an urgent meeting with Home Office officials
- Called upon local MPs to support its initiative
- Raised a petition calling for a debate in the House of Commons
- Prepared a motion to the next council meeting calling on all councillors to support demands for the immediate closure of the Bell and Phoenix asylum seeker hotels
Sign the petition
Call for calm
Councillor Chris Whitbread, Leader of Epping Forest District Council said:
I take pride in the tolerance, good sense and decent nature of our local community. The people of Epping Forest are good law-abiding people, but there are other people who would take advantage of the situation. I repeat my call. Do not be misled by social media or disinformation. Rely on trustworthy sources such as the council and Essex Police.
Support us and make your voice heard through our petition.
Write to your MP and the Home Secretary.
Show them we stand peacefully together and these hotels have run their course. They must close.
Speaking earlier this week, Councillor Chris Whitbread also said:
Let me be absolutely clear. Epping Forest District Council has consistently and repeatedly opposed the use of the Bell Hotel to accommodate asylum seekers. From the outset, we warned the Home Office that this site is entirely inappropriate.
Placing vulnerable individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds into an unsupervised setting, in the centre of a small town, without the proper infrastructure, support or services, is both reckless and unacceptable. It puts pressure on local services, causes understandable concern for residents, and is unfair on those placed in the hotel.
The Home Office must now face the reality of the situation. The Bell Hotel must be closed without delay. Our warnings have been ignored for too long.
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