Council fears bankruptcy over Chagos Islanders housing

After the eviction of Chagossians in the 1960s, the only inhabitants are US and British military personnel and associated contractors

A council leader has written to the government for a third time over the decision to grant British citizenship to people of Chagossian descent.

Chagossians were forced to leave their homeland when Britain bought the islands in the Indian Ocean in the 1960s, with many settling in Crawley, West Sussex.

Crawley Borough Council (CBC) leader Michael Jones has warned that more arrivals could cause bankruptcy for the authority.

A government spokesman said it continued to work with the council to prepare for potential arrivals in the area.

About 6,600 Chagossians have applied for British citizenship since the application process opened in November last year, and a community of 3,000 are already settled in Crawley, the council said.

But in a letter to the government, Mr Jones said further arrivals were “very likely to create immense pressure on accessing local services, including housing”.

“If the council is required to provide housing, it would likely result in CBC being forced into issuing a section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy,” he said.

'Grave concerns'

The council warned that 100 households arriving in the town without housing would cost £2.73m per year in temporary accommodation costs – 20% of the council’s net revenue budget.

Mr Jones said he was pleased the citizenship policy would go some way towards addressing historical wrongs, but he had “grave concerns” about housing costs and the implications on public services.

The council previously wrote to the government in November 2022 and June 2023.

“Frankly, this delay has added to uncertainty, workload and risk on key teams, undermining our efforts locally to respond to the raft of housing and migration challenges facing this town, challenges which are entirely the direct consequence of policy decisions made by your government,” the letter added.

A government spokesman said guidance for Chagossian British citizens moving to the UK was available, which confirms they should make their own accommodation arrangements before they travel.

“We continue to work closely with Crawley Borough Council to prepare for potential arrivals into the area and will update further in due course,” he said.