West Berks will 'do our bit' to take care of more child refugees

Council waiting for Government request to take young asylum seekers from Kent

WEST Berkshire Council is considering whether it can take responsibility for more unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Executive member for children Dominic Boeck said “we will do our bit” if the Government asks the council to take care of more young refugees, following a recent increase into the UK.

The Home Office says the burden being placed on Kent County Council to care for these children is unacceptable and it is calling on other councils to “come forward and do their bit”.

The Conservative-run council in Kent, which is currently looking after 589 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, insists it does not have the capacity to safely care for any more.

It also claims the voluntary National Transfer Scheme, which allows an unaccompanied child refugee to be transferred from one local authority to another, has failed.

Mr Boeck said: “We are waiting to hear what the Government requires.

“We have supported the National Transfer Scheme right from its inception and we’ve always met our quota.

“That’s not the case with many other authorities.”

He added: “Many young people have been resettled in West Berkshire over the years.

“Some of these are now over the age of 18 and we continue to support them.

“The great majority of our unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arrived in West Berkshire via freight transport using the M4 and the A34.

“Since Covid, cross-Channel freight has greatly reduced and this has resulted in fewer arriving here.

“West Berkshire Council will once again be involved in discussions and plans to address a regional challenge that is having a disproportionate impact on communities in coastal areas.

“We will also maintain our capacity to respond effectively when young people arrive directly in West Berkshire and not as part of the National Transfer Scheme.”

In the year ending in March 2020, the UK received 35,099 applications for asylum, 11 per cent more than the previous year, and it granted asylum for 12,863 people, including 3,761 children.

A Home Office spokesman said: “This is an unprecedented situation.

“We continue to provide Kent County Council with support, including significant increases in funding, but the burden being placed on them is unacceptable and cannot continue.

“We are grateful to the 53 local authorities who have pledged more than 210 places to support our National Transfer Scheme, but we need more to come forward and do their bit for vulnerable children.”