Residents protest at site for asylum-seeking children

Locals say they are frustrated with the lack of consultation from the local council

Dozens of residents staged a protest at a site which is to be used to house unaccompanied asylum-seeking (UAS) children in Kent.

Kent County Council (KCC) recently approved plans for the reception centre at Edward Moore House, Trinity Road, Gravesend.

The protesters said they were frustrated with the lack of consultation from KCC and that the centre was in the wrong location.

The council said it was legally obligated to accommodate UAS children.

Baljinder Singh said: "It could have been slightly out of town.

"We're not saying don’t accommodate them, this just isn’t the area."

Edward Moore House was previously a home for elderly people.

Increasing capacity

Jarnail Powar criticised consultation from the council.

He said: "We feel strongly about this because we weren’t asked, we were told."

Another resident Janice Bass added: "We knew nothing about this at all until all the security fences went up."

Many UAS children have fled war and persecution from other countries and have often risked their lives to enter the UK.

Sarah Hammond, KCC's director of integrated children’s services, said the council had been in "regular communication with local residents" and "will continue to update them on progress".

She said that the High Court ruled in July 2023 that KCC must increase its capacity to accommodate those arriving in the country.

'Unsustainable burden'

Ms Hammond added that the arrival of UAS children "dramatically increased" following the ruling.

She said the council had "asserted the need" that the children were "transferred out of Kent swiftly and safely" to other local authorities to ensure services were not overwhelmed.

The centre, which will house children under 16, was the only viable solution to the "unfair and unsustainable burden" on Kent Children’s Services, she added.

Under the council's proposal, it will provide temporary accommodation for up to 36 children.

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