Temporary homes grant welcomed, despite criticism

Cumberland Council has said temporary housing set to be funded by a government grant will be a "huge asset", despite criticism from an opposition councillor.

Labour deputy council leader Emma Williamson said a grant of £1.4m would fund 15 homes for vulnerable families, 10 of which would initially be used for Afghan refugees.

Conservative Gareth Ellis criticised the council for housing refugees rather than local families and said the scheme would cost taxpayers money at a time of savings.

Williamson said the initial use of 10 homes for people on the government's Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) was a condition of accepting the grant.

Refugees housed there would include people who had worked for the British government, or those affected by a data breach by a UK official in 2022.

People on the ARP have an indefinite right to live and work in the UK, unlike asylum seekers.

Williamson said the 10 homes were expected to be in use by Afghan families for "around nine months", after which they would become part of the council's temporary housing stock.

It would mean the council could "house the people with most priority need", including those who had been in care, were at risk of homelessness or fleeing domestic abuse.

But Ellis said the scheme would cost taxpayers money, pointing out the council was looking to save £60m over three years while the government was laden with debt.

"We have our own responsibilities and our own problems here," he said.

Williamson said the properties would be funded by a grant from the government's Local Authority Housing Fund.

Adrienne Gill, from the Cumberland Sanctuary Network, said she had worked with people on the scheme and many had found jobs and set up businesses "more or less straight away".

She said they deserved to be able to live their lives in safety, having been at risk from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

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