A cash-strapped council has warned an increasing number of people from the Chagos Islands are flying into London and needing homelessness support when they land.
Hillingdon council said it has seen an influx of families of Chagossian decent arriving at Heathrow airport "without planned onward accommodation" and it has predicted it will cost the town hall more than £1million by the end of the year.
Between the end of July, 2024 and mid February, 171 people from the British Indian Ocean Territory came to the council for assistance. This comprised of 51 households, the majority with children.
Most are flying in from Mauritius as Britain prepares to hand sovereignty of the land to the country some 60 years after it forced the population to leave.
Hillingdon, which has had to make £34 million of cuts to its budget this year, has a duty to support the majority of households who have presented as they have at least one child, but the council says this is unfunded by central government.
Steve Tuckwell, cabinet member for housing, told the Standard: “We have got financial challenges like any council.
“But Heathrow makes us a major port authority and that is presenting increasing challenges.
“We are estimating that the number of people coming from the Chagos Islands will increase and that is a huge burden to local budgets.
“We want to do as much as we can to help these people and we understand they are British citizens. But we need the Government to step up.”
Between July 2024 and January 2025 the cost to Hillingdon council has been more than £355,000 and it is anticipated to rise to £818,000 by the end of this month.
This is made of up of children’s services and officer costs and one-off payments to secure accommodation. With the expectation of further arrivals of Chagossian people, a council spokesman said the annual cost is expected to be £1.2million.
The UK maintained possession of the Chagos Islands when Mauritius became independent in 1968 and in the early 1970s forcibly deported about 2,000 residents so that Diego Garcia, the largest island, could be leased to the US for an airbase.
After decades of negotiations, the UK is preparing to hand over the land to Mauritius. But the proposed deal has been criticised for having no real provision for the Chagossian people to return.
In November 2022, the Government launched a new UK nationality route for those born on the British Indian Ocean Territory and their descendants. It allows them to become British citizens free of charge, with the right to live and work in the UK free of any immigration controls.
A government spokesman said: “The UK Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities to ensure they are able to support arrivals in their area.
“Government funding has also been made available to support local authorities, including Hillingdon in circumstances where arrival numbers are creating unmanageable local pressures.”
A Hillingdon council spokesman said: “While we recognise that those arriving from the Chagos Islands are UK nationals, this is an unfunded demand on council services as a result of Hillingdon being a port authority.
“This places increasing financial pressure on the council at a time when the local government funding model is already unsustainable, and we’re calling on the government for further clarification on how they intend to support any Chagossian resettlement scheme as they are ineligible for support under homelessness legislation.
“Our housing team works to explore all available options and assist homeless households to find suitable and affordable accommodation if they are eligible.
“A significant number of households have arrived to-date from the Chagos Islands, and those with children have been supported by the council. Where we cannot assist households who are ineligible for support, the council will provide guidance, suggesting they speak with voluntary organisations who will be able to help them, or with friends and family.”
