Government announce £35 million new funding to help local councils rehome Afghan refugees

The government has announced a new package of £35 million to help local councils in the UK move Afghan refugees from hotels into permanent housing.

It comes after the Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer said the £1 million daily cost of housing around 8,000 Afghan refugees, half of them children, is unsustainable.

Under new plans announced today (28 March), families housed in hotels will be written to at the end of April, and will be told they have 'at least three months notice' before they are forced out, the PA news agency reports.

READ MORE: Concerns refugees could be pushed into homelessness under government plans

"This will crystallise a reasonable timeframe 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," Mr Mercer said.

A number of hotels in Greater Manchester have been used to house refugees fleeing persecution after the Taliban regime took over the country, following the fall of Kabul in 2021.

Mr Mercer promised “generous” support to help Afghan families into settled accommodation, with trained staff based in hotels to provide advice on finding work, new homes and English lessons.

Some £35 million of new funding will help local 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 easing homelessness pressures.

"Long-term residency in hotels has prevented some Afghans from properly putting down roots, committing to employment,