Funding for councils through new Afghan resettlement plans

Local authorities will receive a generous funding package to support the resettlement of families who have come to the UK having been at risk in Afghanistan.

The government has said that councils who support people through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) or Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme will receive £20,520 per person, over three years, for resettlement and integration costs.

Local councils and health partners who resettle families will also receive up to £4,500 per child for education, £850 to cover English language provision for adults requiring this support and £2,600 to cover healthcare.

A further £20 million of flexible funding will be made available to support local authorities with higher cost bases with any additional costs in the provision of services. In addition, the previously announced Afghan Housing Costs Fund will increase from £5 million to £17 million and run for two extra years to help local authorities provide housing and give certainty that funding will be available in the future.

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, have asked more local authorities to now step up and offer places for people coming from Afghanistan.

Jenrick said: “I am incredibly impressed by the positive response we’ve received from councils so far, with a large number already pledging their support. However, we urgently need more offers of accommodation to welcome Afghan families who have remained firm allies of the UK, working with our troops and our country so bravely in recent years. With this extra funding in place, I’m asking all councils who have not yet come forward to contact us with a firm offer of support to help these families secure the best possible start to their new lives.”