The Home Office has confirmed only 350 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children would be allowed to enter England by the end of 2016/17, following consultation with local councils.
However, local authority chiefs have blamed government underfunding rather than capacity for their difficulties in meeting demand.
The 350 figure is just over a tenth of the 3,000 children councils expected to resettle under the scheme. The children were due to arrive under the so-called "Dubs amendment" of the Immigration Act 2016 instigated by Lord Dubs, who himself was a refugee to the UK as a child fleeing Nazi Germany.
"As required by the legislation, we have consulted with local authorities on their capacity to care for and support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children before arriving at this number," a written statement set down in parliament yesterday by immigration minister Robert Goodwill said.
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