Child migrants: Government responds to Kent council legal threat

Children arriving alone in Kent are being taking to a Home Office facility

The Home Office has responded to a council that is threatening it with legal action over lone child migrants.

Kent County Council cares for more than 400 such children - almost twice the government's recommended number.

It wants other councils to take "their fair share", and said it would issue a claim for judicial review if the government didn't respond by 17 June.

The council said it received a response which is "now under consideration" but did not provide details.

The Home Office recently said lone migrant children will be distributed "more evenly" around the country.

KCC stopped taking the children into its care at 06:00 BST on Monday after threatening legal action against the home secretary over the "extreme pressure" on its services.

In a statement, the authority said: "KCC has received a response from the Secretary of State to the Letter Before Action regarding potential legal action to mandate the National Transfer Scheme.

"The response is now under consideration and any further action will be announced in due course."

More than 400 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are in the care of the council.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in Kent are now the responsibility of the Home Office, who will have to find places for them with other local authorities, KCC said.

In a statement, the Home Office said: "Our efforts remain focused on ensuring every single unaccompanied child receives appropriate support whilst we seek a permanent place for them with a local authority.

"Responsibility for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will be more evenly distributed across the UK as part of new and vital updates to the National Transfer Scheme."

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