Epping residents don’t trust that asylum seeker hotels will close despite Prime Minister’s promise

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he wants hotels housing asylum seekers to close within the coming months

The Bell Hotel in Epping(Image: Lucy North/PA Wire)

Epping has been the centre of debate over the government’s use of hotels to house asylum seekers while their applications are being processed. The Essex town rose to national headlines through the summer over protests outside the Bell Hotel which has caused division and tension amongst both the local community and the country as a whole.

Now, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has said in a statement to the BBC that he wants the public to see hotels closing ‘within the coming months’. Demonstrations, sparked by a resident of The Bell Hotel sexually assaulting a child and a woman last summer, have seen crowds of protesters descending on the small town. Protesters and ‘anti-protestors’ have genuine questions on the safety of asylum seekers living in the hotel, both for themselves and the townsfolk.

With the district council objecting to The Bell Hotel being used for temporary accommodation, townsfolk fearing each other’s reactions to differing opinions on the topic, and protests continuing, a new statement from the prime minister has brought the people together. EssexLive spoke to residents in Epping about the possible closure of asylum seeker hotels. While many did not wish to be named when speaking on the subject, and opinions were not entirely straightforward, there was one universal opinion: Keir Starmer is not a leader the people trust to live up to his promises.

A new mother, who did not want to be named, said: “I have a child, and there are things that have gone down with [The Bell Hotel] that don’t really make me feel very comfortable, but it’s frustrating because there are people who deserve to be there and have made an effort to integrate into the community. It’s the bad eggs that have ruined it for everyone else, and those issues are too bad to ignore, so unfortunately, I do think it needs to close. “It’s a shame, and it’s hard for people who have children because, as someone who has become a mother recently, you do whatever you can to protect your kids. Anything else goes out the window. If you think there’s something that’s not safe, you just think that can’t be there anymore, whether it’s a hotel or a nightclub.” For her, closing hotels is not a simple solution. She said: “It’s not black and white, there’s a real grey area. Some of them might be better organised, but I don’t think dumping a load of people in the middle of an English town without any support is doing anyone any favours. There needs to be a better way of helping these people rather than dumping them in a hotel in the middle of nowhere and expecting them to integrate. There’s no support for the people living there, or the townspeople.” She added that the issue lies with the government, saying: “It’s been poorly managed by our government. The current system is clearly not working and it needs to be fixed. They can’t keep painting over it and hoping it will go away. It needs to be looked at more carefully. “The one here probably needs to be closed because it has been the source of so many issues. The government hasn’t handled it very well, which has also caused issues. They should have a better solution in place.” They believe ex-military barracks could provide a base for people while their application for asylum is processed. Does she trust Keir Starmer will close the hotels? “I don’t believe a word that comes out of that man’s mouth”, she said, “I think politicians are all as bad as each other.”

‘We’re treating them like unwanted pets’

Another resident we spoke to also felt unsure about the situation. “I feel mixed about it,” they said, “These people need somewhere. They’re fleeing active warzones. I don’t think they should be holed up in hotels forever, but I don’t think [they should be] moved for optics to try and win elections.” They believe that the asylum seeker processing system should be improved so that those awaiting legal entry into the country can be allowed to stay, while others leave, saying: “We need it solved, not just close down hotels, because where will they go then? They’ve experienced adversity, and we’re treating them like unwanted pets.

“It’s very nuanced, there’s a lot to discuss,” they said. “You can’t just pander to people and close down the hotels. They need somewhere to be. There needs to be a clear roadmap. We need to know how it’s going to be handled, what’s going to be done, and how [the asylum seekers] are going to be treated. Epping is not the place for the asylum seekers, said the resident, reflecting on the demonstrations over recent months. They said: “The asylum seekers deserve somewhere better than this town. The people in this town have treated them like s***. That was also never a nice hotel; it was a motel at best, and it was like that when there were paying customers. I imagine it’s probably awful in [The Bell Hotel].

“I find it hard to believe anything [Kier Starmer] says, or any politician,” they said when reflecting on whether they think the hotel will close. “You know they’re lying when their lips are moving. They’ll promise one thing, and then it’ll go out the window. Thinking about the cost to the public to house asylum seekers, they added: “People talk about the cost of the hotels, but the taxpayer is spending much more on frivolous things. I’d ask [people] to give me an example where spending money looking after people is a bad investment.”

‘Live and let live’

Another resident said: “People need to get over it. The fact they’re closing them makes me think [the government] are caving to pressure. It seems like something to make people happy, but I imagine the logistics of [closing the hotels] are going to be quite a bit harder than closing them down in the next few months.

“I don’t see a problem with [the hotel] being there in the first place. I know there was an incident with someone living there before, but it’s easy to tarnish everyone with the same brush. “We need to live and let live. Let them be if they’re in such a dire situation that has led them to this in the first place. If people need them to stay open, then I’d say stay open, and everyone needs to get over it. It paints us in a bad light. I’m all for patriotism, but not when it’s racist.”

While another resident was fully against both the hotels. They said: “I totally agree with [the closures]. Putting [asylum seekers] in hotels is costing the taxpayer a lot of money, and there are British people born here who live on the streets, but they aren’t given a hotel. “Shut [the hotels] down and put [asylum seekers] in military bases. We should protect the public, they should be miles away. They should be kept safe from the public and the public safe from them. My son lives in Australia, and he’s constantly worried.” When thinking about whether she believes the hotel will close, she said: “I don’t trust Keir Starmer at all. He’s brought this country down to its knees. What he says, he doesn’t do. He’s the worst person I’ve seen in government in my life.”