English residents in the migrant hotel flashpoint of Epping have vowed to stop paying council taxes after the government argued that asylum rights supersede local concerns of safety.
A breakdown in the social contract appears to be emerging in the wake of a controversial Court of Appeal decision on Friday to overturn an injunction to shut down the Bell Hotel in the Essex town of Epping for the purpose of housing supposed asylum seekers, the vast majority of whom are young male illegal migrants.
The use of the hotel as migrant accommodation sparked nationwide protests against the scheme after allegations that an illegal migrant from Ethiopia had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl from the town. The protests successfully pressured the local council to file for an emergency injunction at the High Court to shut down the hotel.
However, the Home Office successfully argued on appeal that its requirements to house supposed asylum seekers under the European Convention on Human Rights outweighed the rights of Epping residents to decide whether they wanted to house over a hundred migrants in their midst.
In response, some Epping locals told the Daily Mail that they intend to stop paying their taxes to the council.
Mother of three, Sarah White, said: “We are outraged by what happened in court. We feel very vulnerable. Our children return to school tomorrow. What is the point of paying our council tax if it is being directly used to fund a place which houses alleged sex attackers?”
“And it funds a place which is causing huge worry and anxiety to locals. Girls are being followed. It goes against everything which council tax is for. We know the consequences,” White added.
Another resident, 44-year-old Sarah Corner, told the paper: “We need to take a stand. Enough is enough. Our taxes are funding the hotel, the police and all the costs associated with it. That’s not what it should be for.”
One resident, who asked not to be named, added: “The feeling is so strong that the threat of prison does not worry me. I will go to jail for this.”
Meanwhile, the Epping Forrest council said that it is considering a further appeal, potentially to the UK Supreme Court, saying in a statement: “We will continue to fight on every front, using the democratic, diplomatic, legal, and political means available, until the Bell Hotel is closed.”
It comes as at least 19 other local councils are reportedly set to launch legal challenges to shut down migrant hotels in their areas, including all 12 councils under the control of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. On Sunday, Mr Farage accused the government of siding with illegal migrants over British mothers.
This accusation was given credence after Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson openly admitted on Sunday that the government believes that asylum rights trump the “frustration” of local residents.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here