Almost 10 per cent of England’s councils have pushed back
Up to 30 councils in England have refused to take in any Afghan refugees who have arrived in Britain after fleeing the Taliban, the Telegraph reports.
On top of the 8,000 Afghan translators Britain agreed to welcome, prime minister Boris Johnson has said another 5,000 vulnerable Afghans would be able to resettle in Britain.
But government sources have told the Telegraph that several councils have shown resistance when asked by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government if they could help house refugees coming from Afghanistan.
The report states a government source said they had “asked councils, ‘Which of you guys can stick your hands up?’. Around 100 councils have said, ‘We’ll take some people’. About 30 local authorities have said no so far. They’ve said they don’t have resources or they have their own concerns.”
In order to find houses big enough to resettle larger families fleeing the Taliban, local authorities are reportedly considering renting private homes and buying or building additional properties.
There is also the possibility that military accommodation that was due to be sold off could be retained to house refugees.
A government spokesman said: “Approximately only five per cent of councils have declined to sign up to our relocation and assistance scheme and close to a third of councils have already stepped up to support new arrivals, but we know there is more that can be done for those that have risked their lives supporting us.
“This is why we are calling on all councils who have not yet come forward with a firm offer of support to help Afghan nationals and their families as they build a new life here in safety.”
