Councils need more homes to house Afghan refugees

THE leader of South Oxfordshire District Council has pledged to help refugees from Afghanistan.

But Sue Cooper warned that the area is short of social housing and the council’s finances and resources are already overstretched.

The Government has agreed to resettle 20,000 people fleeing the Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan following the withdrawl of US troops.

Councils across England have committed to taking refugees who are being flown out of Kabul airport amid chaotic scenes.

Councillor Cooper said: “Many people in Afghanistan are now facing a truly awful situation and we in the UK have a moral duty to offer as much support as possible to those who feel they are no longer safe there.

“Our big problem in this area is there is a severe shortage of affordable and social housing.

“In the short-term when they arrive, I’m hoping that any Ministry of Defence places we’ve got, like RAF Benson, might have accommodation that could be suitable.

“It is after that, though, that there is an issue and a couple of months is probably all they will be able to give. There is a big difference between accommodating a single person and a family with three or four children. We just do not have the houses to put them in unless the Government wants to give us some money to rent them out privately.

“People might think it is easier to accommodate single men but when you look at our housing register the majority of people are those wanting one-bedroom units. It is a balancing act.”

The council can provide help to people over the age of 18 who have been granted refugee status as part of the UK resettlement scheme.

It is currently supporting two Syrian families and working to resettle three others in partnership with neighbouring Vale of White Horse District Council.

Cllr Cooper, who represents Benson and Crowmarsh for the Liberal Democrats, said support packages were in place to help a small number of individuals but the council couldn’t replicate this on a larger scale.

She said: “Our resources are already fully used. It is somewhat easier for councils that have got their own housing stock, which we don’t. We have to negotiate with housing associations that operate in the area but they can’t just magic up houses out of nowhere.

“We are in desperate need of more social and affordable housing.” Cllr Cooper said the council also had too few officers to do the work needed.

“The housing department is already really busy trying to find houses for people on the verge of being made homeless because they have lost their job during covid,” she said.

“As a district, we have previously supported people in similar situations and we will do our best to work with our partners to offer what help we can to people from Afghanistan who are granted refugee status.”

She was supported by Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, who represents Goring on the council and is a regional co-ordinator for the City of Sanctuary charity and previously worked for Restart Refugee Support.

She said: “It is not just the houses, we need to integrate them with language and mental health support. Language will always be the biggest barrier to getting resettled and mental health is also really important because of what they have been through. It should be a humanitarian response rather than a political one. From what I’m seeing on social media, there is widespread support across the political spectrum, which is really reassuring.

“It is a positive step that the Government has taken but we need more guidance and we need it very quickly.”

Oxfordshire County Council is trying to identify empty housing stock suitable for housing families.

Council leader Liz Leffman said: “We will do all we can to support those in need. We already know that the people of Oxfordshire are keen to provide support as many have come forward with generous offers of help.

“Having previously dealt with the difficult situation that arose in Syria with refugees leaving that country for the UK, we have considerable experience of dealing with such situations.”

Henley MP John Howell said: “The ability to control affordable housing lies with the district council. They are the planning authority and they will have to take action.

“The Government is trying to do its best to deal with the situation in Afghanistan. This is not the time to be jumping up and down about the money involved.

“It has been really encouraging to see so many councils across the country giving offers of support.”

Matt Rodda, Labour MP for Reading East, said the number of refugees the Government was willing to accept was not enough.

“They are offering 5,000 places but that is in the first year and then the rest will come later. The need is right now. The Government needs to remove the bureaucracy and ensure there is an effective scheme.”