Gravesend care home earmarked as site to house lone child asylum seekers
Edward Moore House in Gravesend has been selected as a site to house child asylum seekers.
A care home in Gravesend in Kent has been earmarked for temporary accommodation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Kent County Council bought Edward Moore House using government funding and aims to open the site in September.
The council said it's doing everything it can to increase capacity for unaccompanied minors in line with the High Court's ruling.
It says work on Edward Moore House is due to start 'very soon' and that the centre would be fully funded by the Government, so wouldn't put any financial burden on taxpayers.
Roger Gough, Leader of Kent County Council (KCC), said: “Last summer, the High Court ruled the previous cap on the number of unaccompanied minors we take into our care, part of managing the whole process from the point of view of the county and the Council, was unlawful and KCC must take “every possible step” to increase its capacity to accommodate and look after all UAS Children arriving in the county.
“As a result, the number of UAS Children coming into the limited capacity of KCC significantly increased immediately and will continue to do so now the warmer weather has begun and crossings escalate.
"New suitable accommodations are needed at speed to meet the needs of predicted new arrivals.
“The council must demonstrate to the High Court it is doing everything it can to meet the requirement.
"We identified 7 suitable buildings across the county, with internal spaces configured to meet Ofsted requirements, to become new Reception Centres set up and managed in the same way as our 2 existing, well established and successful sites.
“I can reassure residents all KCC UAS Children Reception Centres in the county are wholly funded by Government and do not represent any financial burden on Kent taxpayers.
“During this time, we are continuing to challenge the Government through our own legal proceedings to get the National Transfer Scheme working appropriately to ensure all Local Authorities in the UK take on their responsibility for the care of UAS Children now.
"The Court made clear the Home Office must quickly implement an effective and successfully managed NTS.
"This will ensure Kent’s Children’s Services will never again have to announce the position of being so overwhelmed it can no longer take any new referrals of children into its care, and Kent’s services unfairly burdened simply because of our geography in relation to the shortest crossing route.”
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