Agenda item

Recommendations:

The Executive is asked to:

(i)   Approve in principle the use of 10 additional SFA properties in Catterick Garrison for eligible Afghan citizens currently residing in Afghanistan or in third countries seeking relocation to the UK under the ARAP.

(ii)  Authorise the Corporate Director – Strategic Resources to accept the MOD’s Sub Underlease Agreement on behalf of North Yorkshire Council after consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services).

Considered – Report of the Assistant Director - Policy, Partnerships and Communitiesto consider the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) offer to provide additional temporary homes in North Yorkshire for eligible Afghan citizens currently residing in Afghanistan or in third countries seeking relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

County Councillor David Chance introduced the report, noting that there are still an estimated 4600 Afghans (including spouses and dependants) eligible to come to the UK under the Afghan Resettlement and Assistance Policy, many of whom worked for the MOD. The background to the offer of using more empty MOD houses in the UK for these families is that the UK government wants the Afghan families to be offered housing in the UK before they travel here. A maximum of 10 additional Afghan households, utilising a mix of three and four bedroomed empty Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in Catterick Garrison, is felt to be manageable. These properties would be offered on short-term leases by the MOD with the intention that the families would then be moved into affordable secure housing in the county by the Council.

The use of these additional properties will bring the number up to 39 Afghan families resettled in North Yorkshire, approximately 180 persons. Experience to date has shown that the Afghan families require significant amounts of specialised support, such as for physical injuries or mental issues. In determining the recommended number of MOD properties to be used on the Garrison, the County Council has had to factor in the availability of school places there, housing pressures across the county and existing refugee resettlement commitments under the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme.

County Councillor Kevin Foster thanked the MOD for making the SFA properties available, citing the moral duty to support Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles. He felt that Catterick Garrison was the right place to house the families, given the specialist recovery centre based nearby and the work of the Army Welfare Service. However, he put forward a case to consider accepting more than ten properties, citing the future housing developments taking place in the vicinity of Catterick Garrison and the potential work opportunities available in the area for any refugees.

In response, Jonathan Spencer, Refugee Resettlement Manager advised that the intensive wraparound care required to support the Afghan families was cited as a reason for the recommendation of ten properties as a starting point to deliver a good level of support, but this will be monitored. The lack of nearby hospital facilities was also cited as a reason to begin with ten properties to avoid services overstretching.

Across the county, 29 families had been relocated since August 2021, with a mix of council/social housing, private rented and temporary housing provided by the Ministry of Defence has been used to date. There is likely to be further requests to receive a small number of additional Afghan families under the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund and through the ‘Find Your Own Accommodation pathway’. The latter is for families in bridging accommodation who take up offers of affordable private rented housing.  We have a moral responsibility to support those families as well but it does add pressure on existing services.

County Councillor Gareth Dadd supported the comments made by County Councillor Kevin Foster and suggested the provision is kept under review to see if extra properties can be utilised to house further families, but felt ten was a pragmatic approach to take initially.

County Councillor Janet Sanderson also sympathised with the comments made by County Councillor Kevin Foster, but noted that services were stretched and it was essential that the support offer from the council was appropriate and sustainable.

Resolved –

That the Executive:

(i)      Approves in principle the use of 10 additional SFA properties in Catterick Garrison for eligible Afghan citizens currently residing in Afghanistan or in third countries seeking relocation to the UK under the ARAP.

(ii)   Agrees to acquire the leases from the MoD as set out in paragraph 4.5 on terms to be agreed by the Corporate Director - Strategic Resources.