EXCLUSIVE Crazy golf trips, circus tickets and countless Amazon parcels: How cash-strapped councils are handing out gift cards and fun days to asylum seekers using taxpayer money

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Taxpayers are footing the bill for boat migrants to go to the circus, play crazy golf and receive thousands of pounds worth of Amazon parcels.
The lavish spending – unearthed by Nigel Farage 's new 'efficiency' audit of councils – also included thousands of pounds spent on gift cards, purchases from Currys and Argos, and takeaways.
The findings, published exclusively in today's Mail on Sunday, come as a political row rages about the Government's new migrants return deal with France, which the Tories have dismissed as a 'gimmick'.
The deal to return an expected 50 migrants a week to France was signed and announced by Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday,.
Mr Farage launched its Department of Local Government Efficiency (Dolge) – an echo of the 'Doge' set up by Elon Musk for Donald Trump in the US – in the wake of Reform's success in May's local elections.
Its audit of Kent County Council (KCC), which it seized control of from the Tories, suggests a local authority struggling to cope with the burden of boat migrants landing on its shores from France – with 2,500 children alone entering its care system every year.
The Reform audit shows that KCC's spending included £102.95 at Fortnum and Mason, paid out of the council's Social Fund, £162,077 at Amazon – including 2,966 transactions related to asylum seekers – £11,521 at Currys, £70,056 at Argos and £12,328 with Voucherline gift cards – all paid from migrant-related budgets, which the council then claimed back from central government.
KCC also funds numerous days out for the child migrants: £279.91 was spent at the Santus Circus, £6,055 was spent at a local swimming pool and £55.50 at Mr Mulligans Crazy Golf. It also spent almost £300 on driving lessons.
Kent Council said most of the spending highlighted was for unaccompanied asylum seeker children or asylum seekers aged between 18 and 25 who have left the care system but remain the responsibility of the council – known as 'care leavers'.
In the year to June the council cared for 3,036 asylum-seeker children and supported 1,442 'care leavers'.
Children who make the Channel crossing are initially taken into the care of KCC, with some later dispersed around the country.
The auditors also found a £1,972 bill for an airline ticket from Virgin Atlantic, £5,793 worth of Domino's Pizzas and £1,127 at Pizza Express. It is unclear what the plane ticket was for, while the spending on pizzas related to children in care.
In Nottinghamshire, the county council spent £38,007 on McDonald's and £7,143 on Domino's – 97 per cent of which was provided by the children/education budget – in addition to £2,185 at Nando's, £2,403 at Greggs, £6,676 at Costa Coffee and £2,407 at Starbucks. The local authority also spent £2,898 on Netflix subscriptions and £1,455 on Disney Plus.
Doncaster spent £16,659 at McDonald's – 93 per cent came from the children/education budget – £5,907 at Greggs and £1,123 at Nando's – as well as £5,106 at Costa Coffee and £2,249 at Starbucks.
Mr Farage's party won control of Kent in May's local elections, and within days sent in a unit to identify cost savings, including £40million by cutting spending on Net Zero projects. The Dolge team, which includes entrepreneur Arron Banks, was appointed by Zia Yusuf, head of Reform's department of government efficiency.
Astonishingly, Dolge discovered that across Reform's councils, more than £118,000 had been spent on fast food and £10,000 on TV subscription services.
The Reform audit shows that Kent Council Council spent £162,077 on asylum seekers at Amazon across 2,966 transactions - although the local authority said it included clothing and toiletries for asylum seeker children and helping older asylum seekers furnish their homes after turning 18
Writing in today's Mail on Sunday Mr Yusuf said: 'Asylum is already a heavy burden on the Treasury. The Home Office spent a record £5.38billion on asylum seekers in 2023-24 – up 36 per cent on the previous year. So to blow even a penny of that on crazy golf or skateboarding is a betrayal of the taxpayer.'
The KCC figures throw a spotlight on the burden that children travelling alone across the Channel are putting on local authorities.
An astonishing 7,380 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children aged were in council care across England last year, according to the Department of Education – up from 5,080 in 2020. This means almost 9 per cent of children in care are asylum seekers.
Alp Mehmet of Migration Watch UK said the figures exposed the 'hidden costs of the uncontrolled asylum system'.
'Families are happy to pay for their children to come illegally because minors are accepted more readily and then looked after in the way that has been unearthed. In due course the rest of the family will be able to join them.'
KCC last night defended its spending and stressed that offering entertainment activities helps integrate asylum seeker children and youngsters.
It said its approach meant that 'incredibly low' levels of asylum seeker children went missing from care 'which reduced the opportunity of the children being exploited'. Its spending with Amazon included clothing and toiletries for asylum seeker children and helping older asylum seekers furnish their homes after turning 18, it said.
It also stressed that it has a legal duty to ensure asylum seeker children and youngsters are given the same care as other young people.
Doncaster council said spending on fast food, coffee shops and TV streaming subscription relates to children in care. The MoS understands the spending by Nottinghamshire County Council also relates to children in care.