Reform UK leader says West Northants Council about to issue asylum hotel notices
13/11/2025
Nigel Farrage spoke at Prime Minister’s Questions
by Nadia Lincoln, Local Democracy Reporter
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has claimed that West Northants Council (WNC) will be issuing foreclosure notices on local hotels housing asylum seekers “within the next few days”.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday (November 12), in the House of Commons, Farage referenced the ongoing action at the Reform-led local authority and asked Keir Starmer if he approved of the party “speeding up the closure” of the hotels.
He said: “The Reform-led West Northamptonshire Council, a brilliantly led council, will be issuing foreclosure notices on three migrant hotels within the next few days in response to grave public concern about the safety of women and girls on the streets of West Northamptonshire.”
The council published a statement yesterday in response to a landmark High Court ruling on an asylum hotel in Epping, which saw the legal challenge over the use of the hotel fail and asylum seekers allowed to stay.
WNC initially started looking at its options to pursue the closure of the three hotels – Ibis in Crick, Holiday Inn, Flore, and MK Hotel, Deanshanger – in August after a judge previously awarded Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers being placed at The Bell Hotel.
The authority has since taken the first steps towards possible enforcement action by issuing planning contravention notices to gather more information from the hotel owners, as they believe that the use constitutes a breach of planning control.
In response to the superseded ruling in Epping, Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of WNC, said the authority “remain resolute” that the three hotels in West Northants “have never been suitable for use as asylum accommodation”.
“Today’s High Court judgement doesn’t deter us from our current course of action as we continue to do everything we can within our powers to ensure the right outcome for our residents,” he said.
The local Reform-UK council leader also revealed that they were currently evaluating next steps and seeking legal opinion on the council’s case, should they pursue planning enforcement.
West Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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