Report - London Borough of Hillingdon

payment for food; others agreed to pay for half-board in guest houses/hotels. Finally, some
Local Authorities have commissioned buildings which were un-used residential
establishments as ‘hostels’ or have opened part of a Dining Centre for asylum seekers to
obtain a daily meal.
41.5 On the 26th November, The Secretary State for Health responded to a Parliamentary
Question by saying that he intended to make special funds available to Local Authorities to
enable them to support adult asylum seekers refused assistance under the Asylum &
Immigration Act 1996. The extent of that assistance to Local Authorities is not yet known.
41.6 Advice from Legal Services and the Department of Health, is that cash payments to
asylum seekers by Local Authorities are ultra vires. In effect, Local Authorities are
prevented from providing cash to asylum seekers, but can provide accommodation and
food. It is known that some Authorities continue to give cash on a regular basis to enable
asylum seekers to undertake their own shopping for food and essential toiletries.
Hillingdon’s Response
41.7 A lead officer from Social Services has been nominated. His task is to:-
i) form a small team of staff from existing resources which will assess those
people, including their eligibility for assistance
ii) produce an operational policy document
iii) manage a designated budget drawn from existing resources
iv) liaise fully with colleagues in Housing, Health and the voluntary organisations
and seek their assistance where possible
v) advise the Director on a periodic basis on the degree of need which emerges and
the budgetary implications
Budget
41.8 The medium to long term impact on the Social Services budget cannot be gauged.
Of the 20 people who have sought assistance, 2 have been assessed as eligible.
41.9 Some inner and East London Authorities have over 100 Adult Asylum Seekers
claiming assistance from Social Services. As a rough predictor of cost implications, a
reasonable estimate is that Bed, Breakfast and Evening Meal can be obtained in
Hillingdon for approximately £20/night. An individual would also have essential toiletry
needs and may need a meal/refreshment at lunchtimes, approximately £10/week.
At a conservative estimate, the figure of £150/week or £8,000/year per asylum seeker
emerges and, as mentioned above, the level of financial assistance to Local Authorities by
the Department of Health is not yet known.
41.10 Many asylum seekers will have lived with friends in this country and would wish to
continue so to do, but their hosts feel unable to support them indefinitely without financial
assistance. Rather than see the person evicted and then need to be accommodated in
B&B accommodation, it is more appropriated to make a payment to the family
accommodating the asylum seeker.
PART I - MEMBERS & PUBLIC (INCLUDING THE PRESS)
Social Services Committee - 30 January 1997 Page 30