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Calais jungle crisis: 'Small number' of children from migrant camp to make the Black Country their home

A 'small number' of children from the Calais migrant camp are expected to make their home in the Black Country, according to the region's migration chief.

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Not doing cartwheels: Roger Lawrence

Roger Lawrence, chairman of the West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership, said each borough was looking at 'up to five' children being reunited with relatives as the controversial Jungle camp is demolished.

He said: "The numbers are not enormous. In terms of those with family links we are talking very small numbers if any at possible. Possibly we are looking at one or two in Wolverhampton and around half a dozen in Birmingham.

"We have to identify if these people are related to people here, and if those relatives are safe – that is it.

"After that we will not be further involved apart from providing some support, but not we are not taking them into care.

"Nationally we are told by March that 750 children will have arrived. If you divide that by the 150 social services departments, some of which are much larger than Wolverhampton, you are talking four or five spread to each local authority area.

"In the Black Country it will be at the lower end of the scale and we are talking about none to five, but realistically more like one or two."

Mr Lawrence, who is also the leader of Wolverhampton council, said that taking the migrant camp children would not have a financial impact on Black Country authorities.

He said: "This scheme is supported by a government grant. There is no additional cost to local people or impact on local services."

He said that local authorities will not go into specific details about the number of children who arrive or where they will be living.

"They are entitled to their privacy and protection," he said.

"We will talk in ball park figures and will not reveal their locations."

Mr Lawrence would not be drawn on whether child migrants should be age tested, saying it was a 'matter for the government'.

But he said the Home Office and the Border Force, formerly the UK Border Agency, had 'not covered themselves in glory'.

He said: "The issue of who can come in or out is entirely a matter for the Home Office.

"The local authorities have offered the Home Office support and that was turned down.

"Central government has not covered themselves in glory.

"They knew the closure of the camp was coming down the line and are now doing everything at the last minute giving local authorities a matter of days to get everything in order and are staggered if they can't do it.

"I don't think they have been taking a longer term perspective and could have prevented the situation in Calais becoming a crisis.

"They have left children vulnerable to exploitation and all sorts of things."

Mr Lawrence said he understood the Calais crisis had provoked concerns but emphasised that the numbers were small.

He said more a matter of more concern was the Home Offices asylum seeker distribution programme that had seen 'hundreds' sent to live in Wolverhampton and the Black Country which local councillors had not control over.

He said: "I have been hearing all day about the numbers who are coming. These numbers are relatively small and are manageable with a central government grant.

"There needs to be some perspective.

"Wolverhampton has a history of helping and supporting people.

"We are coming up to the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution and Wolverhampton took in many Hungarians after the uprising. Likewise with Poles and Czechs after the war. We have always been a welcoming place – it's the kind of people we are."

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