City preparing to take in 400 Afghan refugees
Council agrees to offer refuge after request from Government
HUNDREDS of Afghan refugees could arrive in Birmingham as part of a new settlement scheme, it has been revealed.
The council this week signed up to a new agreement which commits it to taking 110 Afghan refugees per year for at least the next two years, and potentially the next four.
The scheme will cost the council around £1.6 million per year.
A report detailed a request from the Government for the council to extend the current Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy, which has already seen it take in 80 refugees from the war-torn country so far this year.
“The request by the Home Office is for local government to commit to welcome Afghan families under the updated Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the new Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) over the next few years,” papers note.
“The request is made in the light of the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and the evacuation of many Afghans to the UK that took place over summer 2021.
“In July 2021, following the Government’s original request made in May, Cabinet approved a decision to welcome 80 individuals under the initial Afghan Assistance and Relocation Policy in 2021/22. In addition, the report requests authorisation for delegated officer authority to procure services in order to support individuals arriving via these schemes over their first 12 months residence in the UK, to an estimated maximum value of £1,595,227.”
The new scheme would prioritise resettlement for ‘‘those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan, eg. by standing up for values such as democracy, women’s rights and freedom
of speech’’, and vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+).
Refugees arriving under the scheme would have indefinite leave to remain and access to public funds, the papers continue, while they would be housed in either the private rented sector or ‘hard-to-let’ properties from registered providers.
And the total cost of the scheme across the next four years is also laid out in the papers, with just shy of £5.5 million being allocated until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.
Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities,
Cllr John Cotton, said: “As a City of Sanctuary and a Mi-Friendly City, Birmingham has already welcomed 80 Afghan interpreters and their families, and I am glad that we are now seeking to welcome another 220 refugees over the next two years.
“Birmingham is a compassionate city and we will work with our partners to ensure that the new arrivals are made to feel welcome as they start to build new lives here.
“Even before the Afghanistan crisis, we made it clear to the Government that more needed to be done to support councils.”
Both ARAP and ACRS programmes are funded by the Home Office in line with previous resettlement
schemes. This includes:
A total of £20,500 per person for councils to provide integration support;
Additional per person funding for ESOL and education;
National Housing Fund to be accessed by local authorities if families are adversely affected by the benefit cap;
£2,600 per person for Clinical Commissioning Groups.
As part of its commitment as a City of Sanctuary, Birmingham previously pledged to welcome 550 refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Refugee Resettlement Scheme, and 110 under the UK Resettlement Scheme.