HOME OFFICE WINS APPEAL; EPPING TAX REVOLT OVER MIGRANT HOTEL

After the UK Court of Appeal overturned an injunction to close Epping’s Bell Hotel used for asylum accommodation, some residents vowed to withhold council tax in protest. The Home Office argued statutory and human-rights obligations to house asylum seekers outweigh local objections; the council may seek a further appeal. Reports say at least 19 other councils are preparing similar legal challenges, signaling wider policy and court clashes over migrant hotels.