Alison Fenney, Head of Policy at the Refugee Council said:

“This is an issue that has been dragging on for over two years with local authorities and Government quarrelling over where responsibilities lie. It is ridiculous that asylum seekers are having to resort to the courts to get the matter resolved.

“This situation reflects the fact that the Government has created a parallel welfare system for asylum seekers, which meets neither the needs of asylum seekers nor local authorities.

“We have always argued that the needs of asylum seekers, including those with disabilities, should be met in exactly the same way as everyone else.

“Local authorities are best placed to provide specialist and appropriate services to people with disabilities but must be fully reimbursed for doing so.

“The issue is that the Home Office is not resourcing local authorities to provide these services.”

ENDS