Responding to the announcement that the National Transfer Scheme
will become temporarily mandatory for all councils, Cllr James
Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:
“Councils have a proud history of welcoming new arrivals in their
communities and the majority of councils have stepped forward
voluntarily to offer homes and support to asylum-seeking
children. The LGA remains committed to working closely with
central and local government to support the asylum system for
children and adults, in both the short and the long term in a
fair and transparent way.
“Councils will want to continue to work closely with government
to ensure the rights and needs of children are at the heart of
these new arrangements. These need to enable local partners to
give children the help they need, including mental and physical
health support and appropriate education.
“Councils continue to face challenges in finding appropriate
homes, with ongoing issues around centrally-led age assessment
and delays in decision-making adding uncertainty for both
councils and young people. These new arrangements must continue
to swiftly take into account existing pressures in local areas,
with greater join-up across government to improve engagement with
councils on all the programmes that support new arrivals to start
new lives in the UK.”
