Southport journalist Martin Hovden writes: Do you spend £4,000 a month on your child?

Southport journalist Martin Hovden writes: Local authorities including Sefton Council have been ordered by the government to care for unaccompanied asylum seeker children who have arrived via the English Channel in small boats.

Under the new rules, councils will be paid £143 per child per night to do so, which works out at £4,000 per month per child.

Erm, what about children born in this country – how much do we spend on them per month?

The number of migrants crossing the Channel is increasing every month, with no solution in sight.

Immigration minister Kevin Foster said the decision was not taken lightly but was in the children's best interests. Authorities will take children now being looked after by Kent and other councils on England's south coast.

The change will see all 217 UK authorities with social services departments obliged to accept an allocation of the children.

The Home Office said it was taking "urgent steps" to allocate places in care for asylum-seeking children.

It has sent councils across the UK a letter giving them two weeks to present reasons why they should not accept them.