Arrival centres planned for asylum children

New arrival centres are being planned in Kent for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

New arrival centres for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are being planned in Kent ahead of the new year, a council leader has said.

It is hoped the plans will ease pressures on children's services in the county, which were previously "so overwhelmed" Kent County Council (KCC) could not fulfil its duty to other children.

KCC leader Roger Gough said the authority was waiting for a funding agreement from the Home Office so the temporary accommodation could be provided.

A Home Office spokesman said the safety and welfare of UASC was a national issue which needed participation from local authorities across the UK.

The plans come after KCC threatened the Home Office with a legal challenge, saying it was being put under "wholly disproportionate strain" by looking after hundreds of UASC.

The council has been critical of the system and its "overburden" of taking on more responsibility than others because of Dover being a key point of entry for newly arriving children.

Discussions are continuing between the council and the Home Office about setting up the centres

In February, a High Court ruling said the authority had to keep taking on young migrants, despite pleas it could not cope with the demand.

As of Wednesday, KCC has 519 people under the age of 18 in its care - despite the limit of 346 under a national distribution system.

Mr Gough added funding must be agreed so centres could be established before a predicted escalation in arrivals in the new year.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are carefully considering the judgment and will continue to work with local authorities across the UK to support them to fulfil their statutory duties to accommodate unaccompanied children nationwide."