Asylum costs olive branch is rejected

Kent Council rejected a government deal last week and is pushing
ahead with plans to go to court to win full reimbursement for
asylum services costs.

The government offered to pay £7.1m of the £14.8m in back
payments the council claims it is owed by the Home Office last week
– but only on the condition that the council dropped its plans for
legal action. The council rejected the deal.

Nick Chard, Kent’s cabinet member for finance, said that some of
the back payments went back three years. The council claims that
costs incurred for asylum services are a national issue and should
not be paid for by local taxpayers.

A Home Office spokesperson said that work was being done to work
out “outstanding discrepancies” and that the government hoped to
resolve the outstanding claim soon.