Lords ruling on asylum seekers may hit tax bills
1:35pm Thursday 12th February 2004 in Latest News By Alex Melvin
Residents could face bigger council tax bills following a legal ruling which could see up to 40,000 refugees coming to London from other parts of the country.
In a decision that could cost London boroughs £120 million a year, the Law Lords last week overturned a Government ban on refugees seeking local authority housing in the city.
Unless the Government picks up the bill, accommodating the refugees could cost the council £1,000 a person a year, almost £44 for each household in the borough.
Council leader Councillor Archie Foulds said: "The obvious consequence of this ruling is an asylum seeker placed anywhere in the country may apply to a London council, despite not having a connection with that council, and can claim assistance under homelessness legislation."
The landmark case that led to the ruling was brought against Harrow and Kensington and Chelsea councils by two asylum seekers, Iraqi Ammar al-Ameri, who has a wife and two children, and Maria Osmani, an Afghani with two sons.
Under the Government's dispersal policy, the two families were sent to Glasgow. But on Thursday, the Law Lords said that refugees were entitled to seek emergency housing anywhere in the country.
Audit Commission figures reveal that up to 85 per cent of asylum seekers and refugees either live in London or would like to come here.
Stanley Sheinwald, spokesman for Harrow Council Tax Campaign, said: "Harrow taxpayers simply cannot afford this added burden. We have no problem with people coming to Harrow, as long as they can support themselves.
"The Law Lords who imposed this ruling are out of touch with ordinary people. They live in ivory towers and don't understand the real world."
The deputy leader of the Conservative group on Harrow Council, Councillor David Ashton, blamed the Government's "ill-conceived" asylum policy.
"This is another example of botched central government asylum rules," he said.
"If a thousand legitimate asylum seekers chose to come to Harrow, it could cost £3 million a year and would mean a four per cent increase on every council tax bill. Put another way, it would use up half of the council's reserves in one year alone."
Councillor Foulds played down such claims, saying: "We don't anticipate a large impact on council tax: it would be wild speculation to suggest otherwise.
"We will be lobbying for any additional costs to be met by central government, not council tax payers.
"The Association of London Government will put the matter to the Government in forceful terms."
He said he understood residents' concerns, and hoped that the Home Office was correct in its view that the Law Lords' ruling would have "minimal impact".
He predicted that any impact the ruling had would affect inner London boroughs most.
