Barnsley Council to help refugees supporting British operations in Afghanistan

Barnsley Councill will help refugees who were supporting British operations in Afghanistan to resettle in the borough.

The cabinet has today (September 20) decided to approve the proposal to purchase 13 units – 12 units for rental and one for temporary accommodation – to house Afghan refugees in Barnsley.

The council was offered a government grant of £1.04 million to increase its social housing supply – and has also committed to match the capital grant with a 60 per cent match.

There is therefore a pot of up to £1.95m to acquire the 13 properties (up to £150k per unit averaged).

A report states: “This scheme is focused on Afghans who had been supporting British operations in Afghanistan and the funding is primarily to resettle them, especially those who are currently residing in the bridging accommodation/hotels.”

However, while the plan is to complete the project by March next year, the report adds there is no guarantee the council will be able to deliver all 13 properties by the deadline.

A document says: “ In short, project risks are due to the short delivery timeframe, the availability of suitable stock (linked to location and size), the extent of grant made available for both capital and revenue spend (these levels may be insufficient) and the availability of match funding from council resources which are stretched and may not cover the cost of match required to acquire/renovate all 13 properties.

“Even with the establishment of a dedicated project group, and delegated approval to progress negotiation and acquisition at the earliest opportunity as recommended in this report, there is no guarantee, at this time, that we will be able to deliver all 13 properties by March 29, 2024, and this has been communicated to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).