Corina Gander: How Broxbourne plans to take on its asylum hotel

Corinda Gander is Leader of Broxbourne Council.

The Marriot Hotel in Cheshunt was a landmark for the local community and the wider area for decades. As one of only three hotels in Broxbourne, it provided much needed accommodation for visiting friends and family, as well as being an incredibly popular venue for weddings and celebrations. 

But all that changed overnight in December 2022. 

The Home Office gave Broxbourne Council less than a day’s notice that they would be taking over the hotel and using it to house asylum seekers. Local councillors did everything they could at the time to prevent this – including exploring legal options – but at every turn we were told there was nothing we could do.  

Since then, it has been local people who have borne the brunt of this decision. The Marriot isn’t on some distant business park on the outskirts of the town – it is a stone’s throw from quiet residential areas. 

The hotel has housed one of the highest numbers of asylum seekers in the East of England, and the County of Hertfordshire was the individual council with the most hotels housing asylum seekers in 2023.  

The effect on already over-stretched public services was inevitable. School places had to be found, increasing the burden on teachers, and local GP surgeries were forced to deal with extra demand.  

I’ve canvassed in every part of Broxbourne over the last few years, and the message from local people has been loud and clear: the Government must get a grip on immigration, and the hotel must be closed. 

And yes, before the last election, it was the Conservatives in Government who people were angry with. There is no getting away from the fact that serious mistakes were made and local councils should never have been put in this position. But I do give credit to the fact that the number of hotels being used had halved in the last year of the Conservative Government, regrettably not including the hotel in Cheshunt. 

Since Labour came into power, this progress has vanished. Despite a manifesto promise to close all asylum hotels, hotel numbers have barely changed while small boat crossings have dramatically increased. 

I have closely followed the situation in Epping through every stage of the process. The Bell Hotel is just 10 miles down the road from the Marriot, and I’ve been in constant contact with my Conservative colleagues on Epping Forest District Council. 

I am certain that the High Court’s ruling this week could also be applied to the Marriot.  

As Mr Justice Eyre said in his judgement, “there has been a material change of use” for the Bell Hotel, and the hotel’s owner “thereby sidestepped the public scrutiny and explanation which would otherwise have taken place if an application for planning permission or for a certificate of lawful use had been made”. 

Just like the Bell, the entirety of the Marriot is devoted to providing accommodation for asylum seekers. None of those accommodated are paying for themselves and none of the facilities are available for use by non-residents.  

I have heard the strong voice of the residents of Broxbourne and, following on from the success of Epping Council, I have made the decision that I will now seek legal advice on the closure of The Delta Marriot. I will be examining the ruling from the temporary injunction of Epping and I will be looking at following the same pathway. Although I know this will be a challenge, it is a challenge myself and my Conservative Councillors will take on. 

I am pleased that the Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch has called on all Conservative-led Councils to follow Epping’s lead.  

Conservative Councils are at their best when they are serving the interests of their residents, keeping public services run well and council tax low. That’s always how we’ve worked in Broxbourne, and as we take on this fight, we will always keep their priorities in mind.