Suella Braverman's 'inflammatory' language slammed by Dale

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

The letter was sent directly to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and expressed Kent’s grievances about adult asylum dispersal and strategic sites in the area. The 14 council leaders warned that conditions at the Manston migrant processing facility could even lead to unrest.

The Home Office has stressed that it is providing support for local authorities.

In the letter, the council leaders said: “Put simply, Kent is at breaking point.

“Our public services including health social care and schools are already under extreme pressure from surging local demand and the cost-of-living crisis.

“We have approaching 20,000 households on the waiting list for social housing, soaring costs and limited availability of private-rented sector and temporary accommodation, all fuelled by being in the expensive south-east London periphery whilst having pockets of severe deprivation and low average earnings.”

JUST IN: Braverman’s bold plan to end Channel crisis and send illegal migrants to South America

They added: “The situation at Manston is critical.

“We now have approaching 4,000 service users contained within segregated marquees as we approach the coldest months of the year, some having been on roll mats for over a month.”

On the petrol bomb attack over the weekend, the letter added: “We are deeply concerned about the potential for a further outbreak of disorder and the risk this could pose to both service users and the local community.”

Council chiefs claimed that secondary schools in Canterbury and Ashford have no places for local children in years seven and nine due to the arrival of migrant children.

They also urged other parts of the country to ease the burden on Kent and argued that the county was a “victim of our geographic position”.

The letter comes as almost 40,000 people have made the perilous 21-mile journey across the Channel so far in 2022.

Responding to the letter the BBC’s political reporter for Kent Michael Keohan said: “Kent and Medway council leaders say Kent is ‘at breaking point’ in an extremely strongly worded letter to the Home Office.

“Possibly one of the most critical I’ve ever seen from Conservative council leaders to a Conservative Home Secretary.”

DON’T MISS:
Sunak’s best chance of an unlikely election victory is Keir Starmer [INSIGHT]
Braverman hit with Tory backlash over ‘inflammatory’ comments [REVEAL]
Suella Braverman resignation row quashed by readers – ‘Let her do job’ [REACT]

A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC: “The number of people arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels, placing unprecedented pressures on the asylum system.

“The Government is working with all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to provide more suitable accommodation for asylum seekers and to end the unacceptable use of hotels, with more than £21million in grant funding already been provided to local authorities to help them respond to challenges in their area.”

Source: Read Full Article