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The Leader of ������վ Borough Council has written to government departments for a third time over concerns about an imminent funding crisis caused by their decision to grant British citizenship to people of Chagossian descent.

Councillor Michael Jones has detailed his frustration with the lack of response to his previous letters sent in November 2022 and June 2023, requesting New Burdens Funding to cover the huge cost implications of the government’s decision.

The council is pleased for Chagossians that the citizenship policy will go some way towards addressing historical wrongs but have grave concerns about housing costs and the implications on public services.

Councillor Jones’ letter has been sent to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

It states: “Our request for New Burdens Funding was made in November 2022. It is now the end of October 2023 and we have still to hear the outcome. As best we understand it, this is because of inter-departmental arguments around funding responsibilities. As the authority primarily affected, I have to say this is hugely frustrating, and is symptomatic of the lack of impact assessment, planning and response of government with regards to these issues.

“Your government's continued delay in decision making on this crucial issue for ������վ risks placing a financial crisis on the council that would have serious effects on its finances and profoundly threatens wider service delivery. I do not wish to leave you in any doubt over the level of concern this causes me, and I must urge immediate action from you.”

������վ is home to around 3,000 Chagossians, which makes it by far the largest community in the UK. It’s highly likely that Chagossians taking advantage of the new British citizenship route will settle here, where there is an established community and where they may have friends or family.

Since November 2022, 6,600 Chagossians have applied for British citizenship and 3,200 have already been approved. This is very likely to create immense pressure on accessing local services including housing. If the council is required to provide housing, it would likely result in CBC being forced into issuing a section 114 notice, effectively declaring bankruptcy.

Just 100 households arriving in ������վ without housing would cost £227,500 every month or £2.73m per year in temporary accommodation costs – 20 per cent of the council’s net revenue budget.

There would also be a number of implications for public services, including significantly increased pressures on the health, social care and education systems which are already struggling to cope. 

The letter continues: “I would ask that you now expedite matters so we can plan and deliver with certainty. Frankly, this delay has added to uncertainty, workload and risk on key teams, undermining our efforts locally to respond to the raft of housing and migration challenges facing this town, challenges which are entirely the direct consequence of policy decisions made by your government.”

The Chagos Islands is an archipelago formed of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean. The Islands were historically a part of Mauritius, which had been a British colony since 1814. They sold the Islands to the UK for £3 million in 1965.

The UK evicted Chagossians from the archipelago between 1967 and 1973 so that the US could erect a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group.
Many of those exiled were resettled in ������վ.

Diego Garcia is the only island still inhabited on the archipelago and it remains a strategically important American military base.