Cost of compassion to Island taxpayers

A spokesman for the Isle of Wight Council says it is not responsible for adult asylum-seekers, under the Home Office’s Asylum Dispersal Scheme, but has revealed the cost of supporting even relatively low numbers of asylum-seeking children and young people is placing a significant burden on local taxpayers.

The IW Council is currently supporting 18 unaccompanied children through the government’s National Transfer Scheme. ‘Fewer than five’ live on the Island, with the remainder in homes on the mainland to ‘ensure their needs are appropriately met.’ The council expects to receive £660,374 from central government in 2025/26 to support these children.

However, in June the council spent £122,574 on foster care for this group – an average of over £6,800 per child for a single month. By comparison, the gov.uk website indicates that standard private foster care allowances typically range from £737 to £1,295 per month. While higher costs may reflect complex needs or specialist placements, the scale of spending – if it continued at the same level – would push annual foster care costs to more than £1.47 million, leaving the IW Council with a shortfall of more than £800,000. Given the financial strain and competing pressures on our cash-strapped council, it raises serious questions about the long-term sustainability of this situation.

In addition, the Council supports 19 young people who arrived as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and are now over 18, so have left care. They all live on the mainland. While £251,524 is expected from government to support them, the Council expects to contribute an additional £304,929 from its own budget – bringing the total costs across both groups to more than £2 million, and the local contribution to well over £1.1 million for just 39 individuals.

Local authorities across the UK have voiced concerns about the escalating costs of asylum support, and this week deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, issued a stark warning to her fellow cabinet ministers, warning them the UK faces civil unrest unless ‘the government shows it can address people’s concerns.’ Hopefully that should not affect the Island but, while the numbers supported by the IW Council may be modest, the financial impact clearly is not.

The council spokesman added: “The council remains committed to providing safe, compassionate, and appropriate care for all children and young people in its care.”