London council to consult lawyers over asylum costs.

A Tory-run council with the highest concentration of asylum seekers in the country is considering legal action against the Labour government after it was refused a claim for more money for housing.

- ALEX ROSS

Hillingdon accommodates the highest proportion of asylum seekers – 94 in every 10,000 residents – in the UK because of the number of hotels near Heathrow Airport.

Some 3,010 people are being supported by the Home Office, according to the latest figures, but when their cases are decided, they are evicted from six hotels in the borough and become the responsibility of Hillingdon Council.

The local authority is paying for more than 100 asylum seeker families in temporary accommodation, while others are sleeping rough in tents in the area.

Council leader Ian Edwards said the demand on council services had left the authority with a £5.3m shortfall in 2024-25 – but this week, the Home Office refused a claim for the money, claiming cash already provided under a grant was sufficient.

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Edwards said: “We are now in discussions with our lawyers; my expectation is that we will have to challenge that decision. This is not about attacking asylum seekers, they need the support... but the idea that the government can intensify the locating and housing of these people in our borough, and then expect our residents to pay for it, is just breathtaking.”