Overview

• Reform UK’s Department for Government Efficiency audit revealed tens of thousands of pounds spent by Kent, Nottinghamshire and Doncaster councils on leisure outings, gift cards and online retail purchases for unaccompanied asylum seekers and care leavers.
• Audit data shows Kent County Council’s migrant-related budgets covered £162,077 in Amazon orders, £70,056 at Argos and hundreds of pounds for activities such as circus and crazy golf.
• Councils maintain that these expenditures meet legal duties to provide equivalent support to asylum-seeking children and prevent vulnerable youngsters from going missing.
• The Home Office reported a record £5.38 billion in asylum costs for 2023–24 alongside a nine-percent surge in unaccompanied child arrivals, highlighting growing pressure on local services.
• Reform UK has extended its review to additional councils, pressing for further cuts and subjecting Labour’s asylum management to intensified scrutiny.