Latest news with #ChrisWhitbread
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Epping asylum hotel protest a 'powder keg', says council leader
A council leader has described protests outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers as a "powder keg" Forest District Council's Conservative leader Chris Whitbread was speaking after more than 1,000 people gathered outside The Bell Hotel in the town in separate protests over two nights last activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, had said he would attend a further planned protest at the an interview with BBC Newsnight's Victoria Derbyshire, Whitbread said: "My concerns are for next week, or this week, if Tommy Robinson turns up... We really have got to get this back under control." The protests followed the arrest and charge of an asylum seeker on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the repeated calls for the hotel to stop housing asylum seekers following the incident. Six people have been arrested following the latest protest with one man accused of violent disorder. Whitbread said there were concerns about the location which is near a school and the town centre."Fair-minded people within the local community, initially protesting peacefully, want the hotel closed," he said. "I have to say, as the leader of the council, that's always been my position and the council's position. This is just not a suitable location. The sooner it's dealt with, the better."He said he sympathised with the "vulnerable" asylum seekers at the hotel but stressed locations which had "less impact on established communities" needed to be found by the Home Office. "It's a powder keg now and we need to get something done and we need the Home Office to listen," he if he had a message for Mr Yaxley-Lennon and his supporters, Mr Whitbread said: "Keep away, [you're] not welcome here in Epping Forest. "What we want to do is make sure our town stays peaceful and people can enjoy their lives here. That's the most important message to get through."Mr Yaxley-Lennon has been contacted for comment. Downing Street previously said the scenes at Epping were "clearly unacceptable".The prime minister's official spokesman said: "Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy but it's clearly unacceptable to see police coming under attack as they ensure that peaceful protest is able to take place." A Home Office spokeswoman had told the BBC the asylum system was under "unprecedented strain"."That was the situation the government inherited, but we have begun to restore order," she Police said it was disappointed to see the protest escalate into "mindless thuggery" after one officer was struck in the face with a bottle and taken to hospital for treatment. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Get our flagship newsletter with all the headlines you need to start the day. Sign up here.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Questions about migrant hotels prevented under councils' privacy rules
Communities are not being informed about migrant hotels in their areas because it would undermine the privacy of new arrivals. Asylum seekers have been housed in hotels across the UK, often without residents being alerted. But this has raised concerns among residents and councils. This comes days after anti-migrant protesters clashed with police outside a hotel believed to house asylum seekers in Essex. Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest council, called for the Bell Hotel to be shut down after an Ethiopian asylum seeker allegedly sexually assaulted a teenager. It has been claimed that under privacy rules, the immigration status of those housed in the temporary accommodation cannot be shared with the public. Newcastle city council said that it could not inform residents that a city-centre hotel was being used by the Home Office to house migrants, saying: 'We would not share a resident's personal information with other residents, unless we had specific legal reasons to do so.' The council suggested the Home Office would be bound by the same rules. The Home Office is responsible for providing asylum accommodation and makes decisions about housing new arrivals independently of local authorities, some of which have become uneasy with the presence of migrant hotels. There are now thought to be more than 200 similar hotels across the UK, housing around 32,000 people at a projected cost of £15bn by 2029 – five times the annual cost of Britain's nuclear deterrent. In Altrincham, near Manchester, residents complained that there was an 'information vacuum' about a hotel. West Oxfordshire council has in the past complained that even councillors were not informed about plans to move in migrants. Tower Hamlets, the London borough with the largest Bangladeshi population in the UK, has told The Telegraph that 'we do not announce when asylum seeker hotels are stood up in the borough, nor do we announce when a refugee comes'. However, the presence of migrants in communities is often noticed by residents who have not been officially informed but have raised concerns about new arrivals. Police have pledged to instruct migrants in 'appropriate behaviours' after residents of Deanshanger, in Northamptonshire, raised concerns about the behaviour of new arrivals living in a hotel near a primary school. Officers drew up a PowerPoint presentation for asylum seekers in hotels on the key points of UK culture, including the fact that women 'have the same rights as men' and 'must be treated with respect and courtesy'. It warned: 'If you harass or abuse any female, you can be arrested.' It comes as illegal Channel migrant crossings are on course to hit a record total this year.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Hundreds take part in protests near asylum hotel in Epping
Hundreds of people have taken part in protests near a hotel used to house asylum seekers in a from far right and pro-refugee groups gathered in Epping, Essex, on Thursday. BBC Essex political reporter Simon Dedman, who was at the scene, estimated there were about 40 pro-refugee protesters and about 400 members of far-right Police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of affray at the protest. "Our officers have been at a planned protest in Epping throughout the afternoon today, and are now aware of some protestors using fireworks and eggs in the crowds," said a police spokesperson."We have closed a section of High Road, Epping, for the safety of the public and those protesting."The spokesperson added: "One man has already been arrested at today's protest on suspicion of affray."Chris Whitbread, the Conservative leader of Epping Forest District Council, had called for an end to a hotel in the area being used to house asylum was joined by two local Conservative MPs - Epping Forest's Neil Hudson and Alex Burghart, who represents Brentwood and Ongar. They claimed the Home Office did not understand the "seriousness of this situation".It followed the arrest of an asylum seeker on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the town. Weyman Bennett, a member of Stand Up To Racism who attended the rally, said: "Britain is a peaceful country in which people should be allowed to go about their business without being attacked."Millie Smith, who lives in Epping and attended the rally, said: "There has been a lot of misinterpretation of who is here and why they are here."Ch Supt Simon Anslow said: "Disruption and offending is never an appropriate response, no matter the strength of feeling in this case, and on this issue."The Home Office said it has "begun to restore order [to the asylum system], with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK". Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Staff assaulted in Epping in 'racially aggravated' attack
Two members of security staff at a hotel were assaulted in a "racially aggravated" incident during a protest, police Police said it was investigating after the staff members at The Bell Hotel, in High Road, Epping, were left with serious injuries after an attack on Sunday Forest District Council leader Chris Whitbread had called for the hotel to be closed. It followed the arrest of a man, from High Road, Epping, on suspicion of three sexual assaults.A force spokesman said the assault on the security staff happened at about 20:00 BST on Sunday while the protest about asylum seekers was taking place outside the hotel. The two security staff reported being attacked by a group of men, police said. The force spokesperson said the two victims managed to make their way through the protest into the hotel, with initial investigations suggesting the offences were "racially aggravated"."Both victims have received hospital treatment for serious injuries, which are thankfully not life-threatening or life-changing," said the spokesperson. Two local MPs have joined Conservative council leader Whitbread in calling for an end to The Bell Hotel being used to house asylum Hudson, Conservative MP for Epping Forest, and Alex Burghart, Conservative MP for Brentwood and Ongar, said the Home Office did not understand the "seriousness of this situation".A Home Office spokeswoman said the asylum system was under "unprecedented strain"."That was the situation the government inherited, but we have begun to restore order, with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK," she said."By restoring order to the system, we will be able to end the use of asylum hotels over time, and reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer of asylum accommodation." Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, is due to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court for a second time on has has denied committing three sexual Kebatu also denied charges of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and harassment without court heard he had arrived in the UK on 29 June. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
