Wolverhampton council is set to give welfare handouts to migrants that are not eligible to claim benefits, including illegals and failed asylum seekers.
The local authority – which is struggling financially and currently looking to slash £15 million from its annual budget – is expected to spend around £500,000 a year on the scheme, the Express & Star reports.
A report to the council read: “The level of financial support provided is inconsistent across each locality area within the city.
“This is posing considerable demands on budgets which cannot be sustained at the current level.”
The money is for families with “no recourse to public funds” (NRPF), the council says, and the payments are designed to stop threats of court action during the process of determining immigration status, which can last years.
The report adds: “Recently there has been an increase in families with NRPF who are being relocated outside of the London area due to the cost of privately rented accommodation.
“The local authority regularly faces threats of judicial review in respect of multiple issues that all stem from the same issue: the parents of children who are NRPF are not having their immigration status determined in a timely manner.
“The local authority is challenged when it is deemed to not have provided support to prevent destitution.
“Having a clear procedure in place that is aligned with a Government support rate minimises the risk of judicial review and will ensure families experience a fair level of support across the city.”
Those in the NRPF group are “subject to immigration control” and are, therefore, not entitled to certain state benefits, council housing, or homelessness assistance.
Wolverhampton council’s children services are contacted for support by one family on average every week and currently helping around 50 families.
James Price, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, told The Sun: “The system is clearly in a mess at the moment, and isn’t working for either immigrants or taxpayers.
“If people are stuck in a legal limbo because of the complicated system, they should clearly be given money to survive.
“But they should also be processed as quickly as possible, whether that is them being granted the right to stay or deported.”
Painter and decorator David McAllister, 40, of Penn, Wolverhampton, added: “People in need should be helped but not to the detriment of the taxpaying public.
“Those who are subject to migration control should be dealt with quickly and either booted out the country or given the right to stay.
“This could just encourage more and more immigrants to come to the city where they will get a free hand-out even if they are here illegally, which is madness and a complete waste of cash.”
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