𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Labour is accused of hiding the true cost of its “failure” to secure Britain’s borders. There is anger that councils are not receiving full funding to cover the costs of housing asylum seekers.

The Government has admitted the “asylum dispersal grant” is “not intended to meet full costs” but only “provide a contribution”. Labour’s Home Office has also disclosed it does not have a estimate for the total costs incurred delivering services through the dispersal scheme.

Conservatives point to the challenges faced by Hillingdon London Borough Council, where they expect a funding shortfall of £3million for 2025-26.

Council leader Steve Tuckwell told the Sunday Express: “The Government washes its hands of asylum seekers once decisions have been made, leaving local taxpayers to shoulder the financial burden of policy failures, with millions of pounds of costs falling on the council that should rightly be funded nationally.”

Mr Tuckwell said it “cannot be right” that local residents are “effectively being forced to pay through their council tax for the consequences of a broken asylum system and decisions over which they have no control.”

The council is demanding local authorities are fully reimbursed for asylum-related costs and that a fairer national funding model is brought in which “recognises the disproportionate pressures faced by gateway boroughs such as Hillingdon”.

Conservatives say Hillingdon is likely to be more than £12million out of pocket for the years since 2020-21.

Shadow communities minister David Simmonds said: “It’s disgraceful that Labour is forcing asylum seekers on communities and then making local taxpayers pick up the bill. What’s more, they are concealing the truth from the public in an attempt to dodge scrutiny.

“Labour’s total failure to secure our borders has led to record Channel crossings and soaring costs for hardworking Brits. Only the Conservatives have a plan to remove this unfair burden from council taxpayers.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are removing incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain. That is why we will close every single asylum hotel and move asylum seekers into basic accommodation like military barracks.“The government has reduced asylum support costs by nearly £1billion, with the number of asylum seekers in hotels down by 35% and asylum support costs down by 15% in the last financial year.”

In a parliamentary answer to the Conservatives’ Mr Simmonds, Home Office minister Alex Norris said: “The asylum dispersal grant supports local authorities with a contribution to the costs and pressures of accommodating asylum seekers across all eligible accommodation types in their area. The grant is not intended to meet full costs, but to provide a contribution towards costs incurred by councils, consistent with affordability, value for money and the local government funding doctrine.

“The Home Office does not hold a single estimate of the total costs incurred by councils in delivering the services outlined in the asylum dispersal grant funding instruction, as costs vary significantly by local authority.”