Erewash Borough Council has voted to take legal advice on whether it can act over the Best Western Hotel in Long Eaton, which is currently being used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers.
The vote came at a special council meeting held at Ilkeston Town Hall on Wednesday night.
What the meeting was about
A councillor, Paul Maginnis, had put forward a motion asking the council to go to court to stop hotels in the borough being used for asylum seekers. He argued that hotels should only be used for short stays and said residents were angry that this had been allowed without consultation.
He told the meeting:
“Residents were never consulted on any of this and are understandably angry… Clearly, the Government will go to any lengths to keep these asylum hotels open.”
His proposal was supported by Cllr Major, who said:
“This motion is not about believing immigration is bad. Immigration isn’t bad – what is bad is when we can’t control it.”
What changed during the debate
Another councillor, Cllr Dawson, said the council must stay within the law and avoid raising public tension. He suggested changing the motion so that the council would first get clear legal advice instead of trying to go straight to court.
“Our duty as councillors is to reduce public tension, not to inflame it,” he said. “Justice must remain impartial and free from political influence.”
One councillor added:
“No one believes a hotel is the right place for anyone to live long-term, but this motion doesn’t solve the problem — it shifts the blame onto people who have fled war, persecution, or poverty.”
After discussion, the change was accepted and voted through. This means the council will not go to court immediately, but instead will ask its legal officers to explain what powers the council actually has before making any decisions.
The debate remained calm, with councillors on all sides agreeing that hotels are not suitable for long-term accommodation but that asylum is a legal right and decisions on housing are made by the Home Office, not local councils.
Full minutes of the meeting will be published by Erewash Borough Council soon.