Politics

Taxpayers Fund Circus and Crazy Golf Outings for Small Boat Migrants

Published on July 14, 2025

Taxpayers have been footing the bill for all sorts of surprising treats for small boat migrants, including circus trips, fast food feasts, and even driving lessons. It’s all come to light in an audit of local council spending, commissioned by Reform after they secured a handful of councils in May’s local elections. And let’s just say, the receipts are raising plenty of eyebrows.

Reported by the Daily Mail, the audit was branded “a betrayal of the taxpayer” by Reform’s Zia Yusuf, who led the so-called DOGE inquiry. A lot of the spotlight is on Kent County Council, which looks after many of the children who arrive in the UK by crossing the Channel, particularly through Dover.

Every year, around 2,500 children who make the journey unaccompanied end up in Kent’s care system, according to the Express. The council has spent thousands trying to support these young people, but some of the expenses are catching attention. Among them is nearly £280 spent on trips to the Santus Circus, over £6,000 at a swimming pool, and £55.50 at Mr Mulligans Crazy Golf. There was also a £300 spend on driving lessons.

What really made people sit up was a £102.95 purchase at Fortnum and Mason, all covered by the council’s Social Fund. Add to that over £162,000 spent on Amazon – nearly 3,000 transactions linked to asylum seekers – and more big numbers from Currys (£11,521) and Argos (£70,056), and it’s no wonder there are calls for more transparency.

Kent Council said most of this spending was for children and young adults aged 18 to 25 who had been in care and still needed support.

Other councils haven’t gone unnoticed either. Nottinghamshire County Council reportedly spent over £38,000 at McDonald’s and £7,143 at Domino’s. According to the report, most of this came from the children and education budget. Doncaster Council shelled out £16,659 at McDonald’s too, with 93 per cent of that coming from the same budget.

Meanwhile, at the national level, illegal migration is firmly on the political agenda. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week to discuss how both countries can step up efforts against people smuggling gangs.

Sir Keir Starmer has called illegal migration “a global problem” and said the UK and Germany will be working together on stronger prosecutions and better cross-border cooperation. “The networks of these criminal gangs stretch across countless countries and legal systems, showing no respect for our borders,” he said.

New Home Office figures revealed that 353 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Friday, a drop from Thursday’s total of 573, reported PA Media. That marked the first such crossings in over a week. The Coastguard confirmed that both UK Border Force and RNLI vessels were dispatched in response to multiple incidents on both days.

The recent deal signed between Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron includes a one in, one out plan, where the UK will be able to return some migrants to France in exchange for taking in asylum seekers with clear ties to Britain. The pilot scheme could begin in the coming weeks but still needs the green light from the EU.

Though it’s expected to initially cover just 50 people a week, it’s a start. That said, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the more than 21,000 people who’ve already made the crossing this year – and it’s only July.

Don’t Miss These: