Homes for asylum seekers may need to be found in Bucks, as other councils in the south east struggle to cope with and influx of requests for housing.

The Government asked Bucks councils for permission to search for housing in the county following requests from authorities in Southampton, Portsmouth and Hastings to “widen the burden” of accommodating asylum seekers.

However councillors feared agreeing to the request could potentially bump residents desperate for accommodation down the waiting list, after the topic was raised at a meeting of Chiltern District Council’s services overview committee on Tuesday (April 24).

Chairman of the committee, councillor Julie Burton, said: “It seems that we have people that need homes here that will be jumped over, which seems rather unfair if they have been on the waiting list for ages and ages and ages.

“If the Government is going to come down with heavy boots then it is just a deferring tactic in a way going away and having a chat about it.”

The Government is seeking an “in principle” agreement from authorities across the south east to allow housing provider Clear Springs to pin down sites for accommodation for families and singles.

If Bucks councils refuse the request the Government has the power to force authorities to take on asylum seekers regardless.

However housing providers are unable to pay more than the local housing allowance – while CDC has to fund over the allowance for accommodation for homeless in the district.

Speaking at the meeting, head of healthy communities at CDC, Martin Holt, said: “We do have homelessness pressures, we do have people that need to get permanent accommodation and we do have people in temp accommodation.

“But I guess every local authority has that same problem so what the Government is saying in principle we want Clear Springs to look for accommodation if you are supportive to that.

“They can find the accommodation but it would still require the local authority to agree to that accommodation being used.

“We don’t manage those tenants and, as the home office said, if any issues arise as a result of the tenancies and significant anti-social behaviour or anything of that nature they would have the right to move them on.”

The agencies would look for a number of houses grouped together to home people “as part of a bigger community” rather than isolated communities.

Councillor Liz Walsh pointed out the Home Office is just aiming to “keep options open”, adding that Government is not looking to home people in rural areas.

She said: “Having been at the home office presentation I got the distinct impression that, okay, at the end of the day, they could say we must do this but I felt it was more of a case of keeping the conversation going”.

The committee agreed to recommend the plans to CDC’s cabinet.