10 March 2000
The funding gap, which had been £2.3m, was brought down to less than £600,000.
But the government was heavily criticised for the lateness of its assistance by the Conservative leader of Hillingdon, Richard Barnes.
'They have gone a long way to meeting our needs,' said Barnes. 'I just wish it hadn't taken three months to do it.' He added that the government should be fully funding the costs of asylum seekers.
Hillingdon is one of the councils that has borne the brunt of asylum seekers arriving in Britain, as Heathrow Airport is within its boundaries.
PFmar2000
