Decision details

North Yorkshire Council is being asked, as a matter of urgency, to accept eligible Afghan citizens in the bridging hotels in the UK for the MOD SFA properties in Catterick Garrison. This is in place of of eligible Afghan citizens currently residing in Afghanistan or third countries. If eligible suitable families in the UK cannot be found for the properties, the Home Office will then agree to use the remaining vacant properties for eligible Afghan citizens currently residing in Afghanistan or third countries.

To approve the use of the 10 additional MoD SFA properties at Catterick Garrison to accommodate ARAP households from the bridging estate in the UK, on the understanding that should any of those properties remain unallocated, the Home Office will seek to match ARAP households currently living outside of the UK to those properties.

On 14 February 2023, North Yorkshire County Council’s Executive approved in principle the use of 10 additional Ministry of Defence (MoD) Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in Catterick Garrison for eligible Afghan citizens currently residing in Afghanistan or in third countries seeking relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). However, at this present time, the option to use the additional SFA properties in Catterick Garrison for ARAP households living abroad is not now available unless ARAP households in the bridging estate in the UK cannot be matched to the properties.

All Afghan bridging hotels are to close in the UK by September 2023. There remain about 6600 Afghan individuals in bridging hotels in the UK. Of that number, approximately 4000 people qualify under the ARAP scheme – ARAP eligible individuals and their family members. Considering the above, the UK government is now requiring that the MoD’s surplus SFA properties identified for ARAP households be used in the first instance to accommodate ARAP households currently residing in the bridging estate in the UK. This will help reduce the number of families facing homelessness when their hotel closes.

The use of the surplus SFA properties for ARAP households in the bridging estate in the UK means that it will avoid them being made homeless when their hotel closes. It will also allow those households to live a more independent life within mainstream society.

In recent discussions with representatives from the Home Office, DLUHC and the MoD, North Yorkshire Council raised concerns about the change of approach, including humanitarian concerns about the plight of the Afghan households who are eligible to come to the UK but are not able to do so because they have not secured accommodation in the UK. However, assurances have been provided that should the Home Office be unable to match households in the UK bridging estate to the MoD properties, it would seek to match ARAP households currently living outside of the UK to any remaining unallocated properties that North Yorkshire Council has selected.

The decision has been taken as an urgent decision due to the UK bridging hotel closure programme commencing on 27 July 2023. Eligible families need to be case matched imminently by the Home Office to the available MoD SFA properties at Catterick Garrison.

To not approve the use of the 10 additional MoD Service Family Accommodation properties at Catterick Garrison to accommodate ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) households from the bridging estate in the UK.