The Government is piling pressure on Milton Keynes and other councils to take a share of unaccompanied asylum seeker children who have been arriving in the UK by boat.
A meeting on Wednesday was told that Milton Keynes Council wants to see the big shire councils take their fair share of the boat children before the city takes more.
But Dr Mac Heath, the council’s director of children’s services, said it is possible that the Home Office will order them.
Dr Heath said: “We are, amongst other local authorities, having very regular contact made with us from the Home Office because it is considered to be an increasingly urgent crisis and national problem.”
His oral update to the corporate parenting panel said: “We have more children here than some larger shire counties and I have taken the position that there should be a more equitable distribution prior to us feeling that we are able to take more at this stage.”
The meeting was told that Kent County Council has “waved the flag” on the issue and has called for help from other councils in the south east region, which includes Milton Keynes.
Kent County Council, on August 17, said it had cared for and found homes for more than 1,500 unaccompanied asylum seeker children on top of other children in its care.
Dr Heath said: “There is challenge at the moment from the Home Office to push forward with an increased distribution of unaccompanied asylum seekers into local authorities around the country.”
The panel was told that if the council was ordered to take children it would “struggle to house them” and would have to look to placing them in other areas. This would have a knock on effect on their quota numbers, Dr Heath added.
The council is currently “being quite robust” with the Home Office despite letters from a minister.
There is also a meeting due on Wednesday when the council expects to be among the councils pushed to take more children.
Dr Heath said: “It may be that we are directed and if we are that will give a real challenge for children’s services but equally a financial, welfare, and potentially safeguarding challenge for us.”
The meeting was also told that seven asylum seekers arrived in the city on Tuesday in a lorry but only two were assessed as children.
Dr Heath said having motorway service stations in the city is a challenge when people arrive here in lorries.
He said this pressure could grow because “the Home Office are giving a view that they are likely to be loosening some of their border controls because of the focus there needs to be on those coming through on boats.
“If that’s the case then it is likely and possible that we will see more challenge in regard to unaccompanied asylum seekers through lorries etc.”
Dr Heath raised the issue because if more children arrive the council has a legal responsibility for them as “corporate parents”.
