Local authority leaders have urged the Home Office to work much more closely with councils when it comes to decisions about asylum accommodation.

On Tuesday, the High Court granted a temporary injunction preventing asylum seekers from being housed in the Bell Hotel in Essex in a case brought by Epping Forest District Council.

The decision has reportedly prompted other local authorities to explore the option of launching legal challenges against the Home Office over its use of local hotels as asylum accommodation.

According to the latest Government immigration statistics, just over 32,000 people who are seeking asylum in the UK were in hotel accommodation as of 30 June 2025 – an 8% rise on the previous year, but a 43% drop on the peak of September 2023.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has urged people to 'put pressure' on councils to go to court after the High Court ruling.

Responding to the Epping ruling, Cllr Louise Gittins, chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), said the LGA would be meeting with the Government and other partners, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, to understand how best to support councils following the decision.

She added that councils ‘understand their places and communities best’ and that the Home Office should be drawing on their experience ‘in any locating decisions.’

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: 'Bringing the asylum system back from the brink of collapse is a genuine achievement in the government’s first year. The increase in asylum decisions means refugees can begin to rebuild their lives sooner, and the use of costly hotels can be ended faster.

'However, this good work is being put at risk by poor-quality decisions – right now nearly half of appeals are successful. These mistakes have life-changing consequences for the people we work with, who have fled persecution in countries like Sudan and Afghanistan.'

For more on the implications of the High Court ruling check out: A Local Ruling with National Consequences.