Migrants Were Our ‘Financial Lifeline’, Say Epping Hotel Owners
16th August 2025
Migrants housed at a controversial Epping hotel were a “financial lifeline” for its owners, a court has heard.
The Bell Hotel has been at the centre of anti-immigration protests since a resident was charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl last month.
Epping Forest District Council has applied for a High Court injunction against its owners, Somani Hotels Ltd, which would end its use as an asylum hotel.
Lawyers representing the company have said the injunction would cause it “financial harm” because the migrants were a “financial lifeline” that had allowed “money to be reinvested in the hotel”. Just one per cent of rooms were occupied in August 2022, they added.
Earlier the court was told that it was “not acceptable” for migrants to be housed at an Epping hotel because there are five schools within walking distance.
Two of the hotel’s residents have been charged with sexual assault in recent months.
Follow the money.