The campaign to close the Best Western Hotel in Long Eaton, currently being used to house asylum seekers, will come before Erewash Borough Council next month.
A petition launched on 27 August 2025 has now attracted over 2,500 signatures, calling on the council to seek an injunction under planning law to stop the hotel being used in this way. The petition argues that the site was approved for short-term visitor stays, not long-term housing, and points to a case in Essex where a council successfully challenged a similar situation.
Meeting details
Campaign leader Cllr Paul Maginnis has confirmed the petition will be debated at a council meeting on Wednesday 8 October at Ilkeston Town Hall, starting at 7pm.
Only 17 seats will be available inside for members of the public, meaning space is extremely limited. With strong views on both sides, protests are expected outside the town hall during the meeting.
The 8 October session is understood to be arranged specifically to debate the petition, though formal agenda papers are yet to be published.
Political and community pressure
The Best Western has remained in use for over a year since the neighbouring Novotel closed in June 2024. That closure saw more than 100 people approach the council for homelessness support, underlining the challenges when hotels exit the scheme.
Erewash MP Adam Thompson has repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament. In July 2024, he described the Best Western as leaving asylum seekers in “endless and inescapable limbo.” In June 2025, he welcomed the Chancellor’s pledge to end asylum hotel use during this Parliament, while criticising the Conservatives for allowing the system to “get completely out of control.”
Locally, opinion remains divided.
• Supporters of the petition say residents were not consulted, services are under strain, and planning rules are being ignored.
• Opponents argue asylum seekers need safe, temporary housing until their claims are processed, stressing legal and humanitarian duties.
• Others believe priority should be given to veterans and emergency service workers if hotels are used for accommodation.
What happens next?
The petition’s supporters hope Erewash will follow councils elsewhere in launching legal challenges to asylum hotels. Whether councillors back that approach, or wait for the government’s own timetable to close such sites, will become clearer after the 8 October meeting.
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💬 With just 17 seats inside and protests expected outside, will you be heading to the town hall on 8 October? Share your views in the comments.