London boroughs and other service providers in the capital will play an important role in supporting asylum seekers and refugees for the foreseeable future. There is much good practice in London that will be valuable to those authorities in other parts of the UK that are receiving asylum seekers through the dispersal arrangements. However, there is no room for complacency, particularly around the issue of cost-effectiveness.
Boroughs can take a number of steps to improve services, but in order to ensure efficiency and economy they need also to strengthen collaborative working, possibly through the London Asylum Seekers Consortium. The Government could also help London boroughs by:
- Ensuring that the funding framework available to authorities is a realistic match with the reasonable costs associated with this client group.
- Promoting as smooth a transition as possible to NASS support in the year 2000 for in-country applicants in the capital.
- Ensuring adequate support in the new dispersal regions to promote settlement in these areas and minimise 'drift back' to London.