Newham looking after four per cent of London’s unaccompanied refugee children

Newham looks after four per cent of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in London, figures show.

The borough shelters 55 lone asylum seekers aged under 18, according to figures taken five months after the Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp was torn down.

There are now 1,540 such children in the capital - up 75 per cent from 2013, data from the Department for Education reveal.

Nearly a third of these are housed in Croydon and Hillingdon, home to the Home Office’s asylum screening unit and Heathrow Airport, respectively.

London has looked after nearly half of all unaccompanied young asylum seekers in England since 2013, equivalent to more than 6,000 children.

Earlier this year the Government scrapped plans to offer 3,000 child refugees safe passage to Britain, having taken in just 350.

A spokeswoman for Newham Council said: “Newham Council takes its responsibility to unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) very seriously and is amongst the best performing councils when it comes to offering help.

“As a local authority we have accepted vulnerable unaccompanied children both from the London rota and as they present in the borough.

“The children’s needs are assessed and support is offered accordingly. We will continue to fulfil our duties in this way.”