Cut in grants for young asylum seekers could cost Kent millions
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by political editor Paul
Francis
Kent County Council has warned
that an unexpected change in Government funding for child asylum
seekers could cost it millions of pounds.
KCC has called for urgent talks
with the Home Office after the Government told social services
chiefs they would no longer qualify for some elements of grants
paid to councils to look after unaccompanied asylum seekers.
The potential shortfall could be
close to £7million and already the council says it has a funding
gap of £3.5million,
partly because the Government no longer meets the costs
of looking after young asylum seekers when they reach the age of
18.
It drew a warning from KCC leader
Cllr Paul Carter that any failure to reimburse the costs could end
up pushing up Council Tax bills.
He urged the Government to rethink
its plans, saying: "If we do not, we will have no option but to
pre-set the council tax but let’s hope we do not get there."
KCC is responsible for about 1,000
unaccompanied minors and even where they have lost appeals to stay
in the UK, social services remains responsible for them until they
either reach the age of 21 or are deported.
KCC said the Government gave it no
warning it was amending the rules, which meant an element to cover
costs of looking after asylum seekers in centres would no longer be
paid.
Speaking at a meeting of the
Conservative cabinet, Rosalind Turner, KCC’s managing director of
children’s services, said: "We have heard that funding is going to
be cut back in the current year because [the Home Office] is
changing the grant rules and we may be facing almost double the
£3.5million this year."
Of the 1,000-plus unaccompanied
minors in Kent, about a third are waiting for the outcome of
appeals while a further third have already been through the process
but had yet to be deported. While they remain in the UK, KCC bears
the costs of their welfare support.
The Home Office was not available
to comment.
Tuesday, September 15 2009
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