More refugees for North Devon

Council could receive extra funding

North Devon District Council could receive more funding from the government to host Ukrainian and Afghan refugees in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis.

The government is putting £500 million into the Local Authority Housing Fund, which is aimed at providing housing for people displaced from Ukraine and Afghanistan because of conflicts in those countries. Nearly one million of that is set to go to North Devon, provided the council accepts the grant.

North Devon has until Wednesday 25 January to decide whether it will take the money and set out a plan for how it might be used.  Its next strategy and resources committee meeting is not until February, so the decision must be made before then.

Some residents who have been housing refugees have told the council they may not be able to afford to continue hosting people in need of shelter, so they will have to ask them to leave unless they are still supported by the government.

If the scheme goes ahead, North Devon will receive three payments; the first to the tune of around £800,000 to be paid in February or March.

This is to be used to either purchase or build at least eight new homes, but the second payment will only be made if at least 60 per cent of the initial money, £480,000 has been spent by August.  Properties belonging to second homeowners cannot be used.

All three payments are scheduled to be made by August, and the final two instalments – equating to nearly £200,000 – are to be used to build or purchase at least one more home.

A North Devon council officer recognised that the scheme could cause “tensions” in the community because of the number of local residents who are already struggling.

The hope is that, once the properties have served their purpose, they can be used as affordable housing for members of the community.

When purchasing or building homes, 40 per cent of the price can be covered by the grant; the rest will be sourced by the district council and its partnering housing providers.

North Devon has the power to draw up the tenancy and rent agreements, and properties will be rented out on an “affordable, lost-cost basis.”

The council has not yet made arrangements with housing companies to operate the scheme, but discussions are underway.

North Devon is also providing an increased payment of £500 to all refugee hosts, and this money will come out of the scheme so will have no effect on the housing budget.

Cllr John Patrinos (Independent, Lynton and Lynmouth Ward) criticised the initiative as a failing government plan that is being deposited onto local councils.

“It seems like, yet again, the government’s come up with a half-arsed idea without giving them [refugees] somewhere and trying to help them,” he said. “The scheme’s started to fall apart and they’re leaning to local authorities to bail them out.”

Cllr David Knight (Liberal Democrats, Roundwell Ward) suggested that the council needs to be transparent with the community, and explaint that the grant is specifically for housing refugees.

“I would strongly say we need to look at transparency and communication so that the public are really aware that this money is only specifically for that purpose,” he added.

“We don’t need to give any sort of glimmer of annoyance that this money is only for this purpose and we can only use it for that purpose, and our hands are tied.”

Cllr David Worden (Liberal Democrats leader, South Molton Ward) described the time constraints on the scheme as “almost unbelievable.”