Hillingdon LBC is taking the Government to judicial review over costs it has been forced to shell out for unaccompanied asylum-seekers. The council made the application to the High Court in relation to the Department for Education and Skills’ decision to change the way it funds asylum-seekers between the ages of 18 and 24. With London’s Heathrow Airport in the borough, the council has a statutory duty to support unaccompanied young asylum-seekers who arrive at the airport. But this is having a crippling financial effect on the council, with Hillingdon having to fund £1.6m for the financial year 2004/05. It will also have to fund £3.7m in the current financial year 2005/06, and there will be an estimated on-going annual impact of £4.8m. This forced the council to set its budget and level of council tax for 2006/07 with these deficiencies in mind. The under funding by the Government has also resulted in 150 staff being made redundant. The council has asked for the hearing to take place as soon as possible.
