Britannia Radio

RISE IN COUNCIL TAX TO PAY FOR MIGRANT CRISIS

The cost of coping with asylum seekers ahs forced council tax to rise in certain areas

Friday February 19,2010

By John Chapman

THE cost of coping with asylum seekers has forced an “immigration frontline” area to drive up council taxes, it emerged yesterday.

Residents will see their council bills increase by 2.1 per cent after their local authority failed to convince the Government to hand over more than £7million which the council says it is owed for meeting asylum seekers’ needs.

Kent’s ferry port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel terminal in Cheriton, near Folkestone, have long been the target of immigrant attempts to sneak into Britain leading to the county’s “immigration frontline” reputation.

Thousands of immigrants arrive in Kent each year and have to be housed, fed and provided with local health care, education and social services.

The tax increase will see average bills for the county rise to £1,047.82 for householders in Band D homes – an increase of £22.39 on last year.

Kent County Council, which has an annual budget of around £2.2billion, had wanted to set a tax rise of just 1.86 per cent.

But only councillors said they could do so if the Government agreed to reimburse £7.3million in grants outstanding for looking after asylum seekers.

Despite intense negotiations, the Home Office has agreed to repay only about £3million and says it disputes the authority’s figures.

The Government claims it has increased grants by 3.2 per cent. But Kent County Council says that amounts to less than £8.5million – well short of what it says is needed to meet a rising demand for key services.

The authority has pledged that if the money is eventually recouped in full, it will carefully consider cutting bills next year.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of MigrationWatch UK, said: “The asylum system certainly needs tightening. Britain is clearly regarded as a soft touch. Why else would asylum seekers be queueing up in Calais?

“Meanwhile, it is wrong for rate payers in Kent to be footing part of the bill. It should be a national responsibility.”

Roger Gale, Tory MP for Thanet North, said: “The Home Office is short-changing the county and has been for a very long time.

“What they are doing is dumping a national problem on Kent.

“Taxpayers are very resentful and very angry and I can understand why.”

Gina Linehurst, 43, of Canterbury, said: “Bills are just going up and up and if I’m being told that I have to pay more to help asylum seekers then I’m afraid I will have to take issue with the council. This is not right.”