News

Initial start-up spending on the Kosova refugee programme is at least £10.5 million as local authorities continue to press for government clarification on meeting spiralling care costs.

Councils have been instructed to invoice the Refugee Council by early August for full reimbursement. Costs include the price of aborted work on reception centres, which will not now be needed because of the cessation of hostilities in the Balkans.

It is estimated that £3,000 has been spent on each of the 3,500 refugees under the Kosovar refugee programme, said Mike Boyle, project officer for the Local Government Association asylum team. In addition, aborted costs were calculated at up to £4 million.

Boyle said the revenue costs of looking after the refugees would be met via a special grant. Organisations involved in the programme are due to meet next week to consider how local authorities are reimbursed for all the costs they incurred.

Calculations of future costs for those refugees who stay for a whole year would also have to be made, Boyle added.

A meeting with the Home Office later this month will discuss the mechanism by which all local authorities' costs will be reimbursed following indications from Home Secretary Jack Straw this should be done.

The LGA is recommending that councils with completed reception centres, which will now not be needed - mainly in the north of the country and Scotland, should take asylum seekers from the south east to ease pressure there.

Meanwhile, a report published last week by the Health of Londoners project reports high levels of mental health problems among refugees and asylum seekers but there is evidence of a low up-take of counselling and mental health services.

Health services need to respond adequately, ranging from provision of appropriate treatment in primary care for some conditions to specialist services for those with major mental health problems.

· Refugee Health in London from 0171 655 6778.