Afghan refugees living in hotels who turn down the offer of a new home will not receive a second offer under new proposals by the UK government, prompting fears that the scheme could leave some migrants “destitute and homeless.”
The new £35 million ($43 million) plan to find long-term housing for Afghans was outlined by Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer in parliament on Tuesday.
Thousands of people fled Afghanistan to Britain as the Taliban swept back into power in 2021, with many now living in taxpayer-funded hotels and temporary accommodation across Britain.
But Mr Mercer said that the £1 million daily cost of housing about 8,000 Afghan refugees in hotels, half of them children, was unsustainable.
“Long-term residency in hotels has prevented some Afghans from properly putting down roots, committing to employment, integrating into communities and [is] creating uncertainty as they look to rebuild their lives in the United Kingdom long term,” he said.
The government will begin writing to individuals and families housed in the “Afghan bridging hotels” at the end of April, giving them “at least three months’ notice” before they must move out.
About £35 million of new funding will help councils provide increased support to help people move from hotels into accommodation across England, while the local authority housing fund will be expanded by £250 million, with most of the cash going to house Afghans and the rest for easing homelessness pressures.
Afghans arriving in the UK under special government schemes will in future go straight into “appropriate accommodation.”
Mr Mercer said trained staff would be based in hotels regularly to provide advice to Afghans, including information on how to rent in the private sector, help to find jobs, and English language training.
“This will crystallise a reasonable time frame in the minds of our Afghan friends — with significant support from central and local government at every step as required, together with their existing access to welfare and the right to work — to find good, settled places to live in the longer term,” he said.
He acknowledged there is a debt owed to Afghans who assisted British forces during the war and upheld British values.
Mr Mercer promised “generous” support to help Afghans into settled accommodation, with trained staff based in hotels to provide advice on finding work, new homes and English lessons.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said he was “deeply concerned” by details of the plan.
He said there was a “risk that they could lead to people who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan being left homeless and destitute on the streets of Britain.”
“This is not how those who were promised a warm welcome in the UK should be treated,” he said.
Shadow defence secretary John Healey said Mr Mercer is “serving eviction notices on 8,000 Afghans — half of whom are children — with no guarantee they will be offered a suitable, settled place to live.”
The Local Government Association said councils will need extra resources to help find and fund accommodation for Afghans moving out of hotels.
A spokesman said: “To ensure we do not see a further rise in homelessness as a result of a chronic shortage of properties across the UK and increase current significant pressures on homelessness teams, councils will need sufficient resources and flexibilities to assist with finding and funding accommodation, particularly for larger families.”
