Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer is calling on landlords to step up and open their accommodation to Afghan refugees.
He says current solutions to the refugees’ accommodation crisis – mostly involving temporary hotel accommodation – costs the taxpayer some £1m per day. Instead he says local government will be funded to pay private landlords who help the government out of the problem.
Now Mercer – who undertook multiple tours of Afghanistan and is now coordinating the resettlement support for Afghans who arrived under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme – says landlords should join in a ‘national effort’ to rehouse the refugees.
He says: “We owe a debt of gratitude to Afghans who have moved to the UK under our resettlement schemes. But hotel accommodation must end – it’s unfair on the Afghans living in them, unable to put down more permanent roots, and it is unfair on the taxpayer, who is currently footing the bill.
“To do this we’ve put in place extensive support, which local authorities can use in a variety of ways to support Afghans into permanent accommodation including funding for deposits, rent top ups and furniture, as well as bespoke advice from staff in hotels.”
The UK welcomed over 21,000 Afghan nationals through its resettlement scheme following the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Since then thousands of Afghan nationals have been living in hotel accommodation across the country.
Mercer continues: “The hotel accommodation was never intended as a permanent solution and as well as the unsustainable cost to the taxpayer, they do not allow Afghan nationals to properly settle into communities. To support the move into settled housing the government has committed £285 million in new funding, and case working teams have been deployed to every bridging hotel in the country to give advice and guidance to those looking for housing.”
The funding package includes additional funding for local authorities, equivalent to £7,100 per person. This funding is given to local authorities as a flexible sum, giving them the power to decide where money is needed and spent, based on their expert knowledge on the ground.”
He also emphasised the need for those currently living in bridging accommodation to take responsibility for their search to find housing, as is the case for people across the country. He claims the government is providing “extensive support” to do this, including a dedicated housing portal and tailored information on how to find accommodation and financial support.
