Brighton Council writes to immigration minister over missing children

Unaccompanied minors who cross the English Channel are often placed in hotels by the Home Office

The deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council has written to the immigration minister, claiming the Home Office has "failed in its duty of care" to asylum seeking children.

Sussex Police have said 76 minors housed in the city are currently missing.

Councillor Hannah Allbrooke said asylum seekers were placed in Brighton with only 24 hours' warning.

The Home Office said the welfare of minors was an "an absolute priority."

Across the country 116 children placed in hotels went missing between July 2021 and August 2022.

In her letter to Robert Jenrick, Green councillor Ms Allbrooke said the Home Office was attempting to "push the blame onto local bodies" by stating in a newspaper article that local authorities have a statutory duty to protect children.

She said: "We believe this is an overt attempt to shift responsibility.

"The Home Office has chosen to use these hotels. The Home Office has been repeatedly clear to us as a local authority that it is the responsibility of your department to care for the welfare of these children."

Referring to a letter sent to previous Home Secretary Priti Patel in July 2021 calling for clarification on who is responsible for child asylum seekers, Ms Allbrooke wrote: "Our concerns today are the same, that the department has failed in its duty of care to these children and young people."

Missing minors 'extremely serious'

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The wellbeing of children and minors in our care is an absolute priority.

"Any child or minor going missing is extremely serious, and we work around the clock with the police and local authorities to urgently locate them and ensure they are safe.

"We are determined to stop the use of hotels for all minors. To achieve this goal, we are providing local authorities with £15,000 for every unaccompanied child they take into their care."

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