Council leader Chris Whitbread and his daughter Holly (Image: Phil Harris)
A father and daughter who have stopped more asylum seekers being housed at a hotel at the heart of a wave of national protests say the Government is “failing” to “get a grip” on the migrant crisis. Council leader Chris Whitbread and his daughter Holly, who is also a councillor, launched a legal bid to temporarily close The Bell Hotel to migrants in Epping, Essex, after a series of heated protests outside it.
A judge imposed a temporary ban on the hotel taking in any more people on Friday, to give him time to rule on whether to grant an interim injunction sought by Epping Forest District Council. The Bell Hotel has become the focal point of a series of protests after an asylum seeker who was housed there was charged with trying to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, denies the allegations and is due to stand trial later this month.
READ MORE: ‘I’ve interviewed migrants in France – Starmer must do 4 things to end crisis’
READ MORE: Shocking graphs show who is really crossing the Channel
There have been a series of protests outside The Bell Hotel since last month (Image: Phil Harris)
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Express, Tory councillors Chris and Holly accused Labour of lacking a plan to deal with the migrant crisis and suggested Home Secretary Yvette Cooper should be relieved of her duties.
The council leader warned demonstrations like those seen in Epping, and now other towns and cities across the UK, could become more widespread.
The 60-year-old claimed the Government is “failing at every level”, adding: “When the Prime Minister’s trying to play on the world stage rather than play at home, you know it’s a failing Government. You’d probably give them nought of 10 for the first year in office, absolutely pathetic and this is the prime example of it.”
He added: “If they don’t get a grip, you can only see this type of dispute spreading and that’s not good for the country.”
Holly, who put forward a council motion calling on the Home Office to shut the hotel, was also critical.
Cllr Chris Whitbread and Cllr Holly Whitbread speak to the Express (Image: Phil Harris)
Labour needs to ‘get a grip’, according to Council Leader Cllr Chris Whitbread (Image: Phil Harris)
She said: “The Home Office can try and ignore us all they like but we had a full council meeting, it was unanimously agreed which is very unusual in Epping Forest across all political parties, that the hotel should be closed. We’re not going to stop fighting, we’re going to continue fighting for our community.”
Both Chris and Holly grew up in Epping, with their family having a “long history” in the usually quiet market town, which is full of independent shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Holly, 32, whose ward covers the area where The Bell Hotel is located, said the alleged sexual assault and following protests and counter-protests have “shaken the community”.
The councillors said most people in Epping want hotel to close to migrants and protests to stop (Image: Phil Harris)
Both councillors claimed most people in Epping want the hotel closed and have had enough of the protests.
They said they support peaceful protests by concerned locals but condemned people from outside the town arriving for “political purposes”.
Essex Police have made 24 arrests and charged 14 people at demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel since July 13.
At a High Court hearing on Friday, barristers for the council claimed the hotel’s owners, Somani Hotels Limited, breached planning rules as the site is not being used for its intended purpose as a hotel, and that the situation “could not be much worse”.
The injunction sought by the authority, if granted, would require the company to stop housing asylum seekers at the hotel within 14 days.
The Bell Hotel’s owners have been told it should not accept any more asylum seekers until Tuesday (Image: Phil Harris)
Barristers for the company said the “draconian” move would cause “hardship” for those inside the hotel, and that “political views” were not grounds for an injunction to be granted.
Chris believes the council has a “really strong case” and will find out on Tuesday whether its bid has been successful.
The father and daughter have worked together for 10 years and said while the issue has been “one of the biggest challenges” they have faced, they are united in doing what they believe is best for their hometown.
“I’ve been brought up to believe in community and to be proud of my town and where we live,” said Holly.
Chris said Labour needs to present a “proper plan” to deal with the migrant crisis, claiming Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘One in, One out’ agreement with France currently looks “laughable”.
Since Labour’s election win last year, more than 50,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Since taking office, we have taken immediate action to fix the asylum system and have started closing down hotels and returning more than 35,000 people with no right to be here.
“From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9 million a day, there are now fewer than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.
“We will continue to work closely with community partners across the country, and discuss any concerns they have, as we look to fix this broken system together.”
