An asylum seeker staying at The Bell Hotel in Epping for four months has urged the Government to “close the hotels” and allow them to work. Mohammed, from Somalia, said a camp or regular housing “would be better”.
He told the BBC that some migrants “are fighting each other in the hotel” and without enogh “social (things to do)” life in the hotel “can be difficult”. Earlier this week a High Court judge ordered the removal of migrants from the Bell Hotel from next month. The hotel has been the focus of protests after one resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, prompting public concern and calls for stricter oversight. Demonstrations outside the Bell Hote last month drew up to 2,000 people, highlighting the intensity of local opposition.
Mohammed, who is in his 40s, is waiting for a decision on whether he can remain in the UK. He added that people awaiting on whether they can stay in the country get stressed, forcing them to “make problems”.
“So, if you cannot work and you don’t have enough socials [things to do], it is difficult,” he told the BBC.
“They are not allowed to work; they stay for a long time.
“We don’t have a guarantee [of becoming a] resident, so they get stressed.
“The people, they go outside and they try to make problems.”
In the UK, asylum seekers are not generally permitted to work, but can apply for permission to if their claim has been waiting for over 12 months without fault on their part.
Over the coming days protests against migrant hotels will sweep the country, with around 26 demonstrations in the pipeline.
It comes after new data revealed that 32,059 migrants were living in taxpayer-funded hotels as of June this year – an 8% increase compared with the previous year.
Manchester City Council has seen the biggest rise in migrants being housed in hotels, from 874 at the end of March to 1,158 at the end of June.
This was followed by Birmingham City Council, which rose from 1,018 to 1,226 over the same period.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the people of Epping who protested outside the Bell Hotel, and its council have “led the way”.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said that “our country’s patience has snapped”.
