The UK government have provided over £1m in funding to a district council in the south to help house Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.
The government gave £1.2m in funding to North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) to help provide accommodation for refugees. However, councillors have criticised authorities for not contributing enough – the grant is said to only cover 40% of the proposed scheme to buy 11 affordable homes.
Councillor Wendy Fredericks, Housing and Benefits Portfolio Holder, said the gesture from the government was a ‘half-hearted attempt at compassion’ and has since asked people not to fuel the ‘anti-refugee narrative’.
Despite this, at the cabinet meeting which took place last Monday, NNDC councillors voted to accept the money and work in partnership with the housing association Flagship to deliver the homes by December.
When the homes are no longer needed by the refugees, the council could use them as temporary accommodation for homeless households, or as other social housing.
The report, which was presented at the cabinet meeting recommending councillors accept the money from the government, said: ‘The 11 homes will take some of the pressure away from the district’s limited affordable and temporary housing.
‘In the longer term, the 11 homes will become available to re-let for use either as temporary housing or as part of the districts affordable housing stock.’
10 of the 11 proposed properties will be for Ukrainians, and is estimated to cost around £2.1m. From this sum, £840,000 will be used from the government grant and £1.26m in match funding, plus an addition £200,000 grant for extras such as refurbishment and furniture.
The other home, which will have at least four bedrooms, would be used as ‘bridging accommodation’ for Afghans. This would be delivered at £370,420 – including £185,210 grant plus £185,210 match funding – with £200,000 for extras.
The money is coming from a £500m Local Authority Housing Fund.
According to data from Statista – a leading provider of market and consumer data – in February 2021 there was 161,400 Ukrainian refugees in the UK, displaying there is a great need to provide accommodation for them.
The news of the government providing funding to help NNDC provide homes for refugees has come whilst the Prime Minister is currently working to outline plans to stop immigrant’s from illegally entering the UK.
Set to go before Parliament today, the Illegal Migration Bill will prevent immigrants from claiming asylum if they come to the UK via small boats across the English Channel, passing a vast amount of other countries in the process.
Photo by Eric Masur