Torbay Lib Dems denounce Afghan decision

Spat over refusal to house refugees

Some councillors in Torbay’s governing coalition have spoken out against the decision of the council to not provide refugees from Afghanistan with council-controlled housing.

Speaking before the council appealed to private landlords to help with the emerging crisis in Afghanistan, Councillor Jack Dart (Liberal Democrat, Ellacombe) described the decision as “tone deaf,” while councillor and Torbay Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman Lee Howgate (Liberal Democrat, Goodrington with Roselands) also criticised the move, saying that the refugee situation was an issue of “decency and humanity.”

The leader of Lib Dem and Independent coalition that runs the council, Steve Darling (Liberal Democrats, Barton with Watcombe), earlier this week blamed the housing crisis in Torbay for the decision not to house Afghan refugees, saying that the council has no choice as things stand and is unable to meet the housing needs of residents as it is.

The disagreement follows urgent calls from the government to councils across the country asking them to provide homes for up to 20,000 Afghans in need of sanctuary following the capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban. On Wednesday, the government came under sustained criticism from all parts of the House of Commons over its Afgahn policy.

Cllr Dart criticised Torbay Council, saying: “I find it really difficult to understand the rationale on this. I certainly don’t understand the rationale for not taking any at all. When you consider how few are coming anyway, we’re not going to be housing hundreds – it would be a small amount.”

Cllr Howgate said: “As Torbay’s Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman I would like to make clear that I expect this council to look sympathetically at any proposals from central government when they emerge, and fully expect us to act with the compassion and fairness local residents expect.  

Lee Howgate, Torbay Councillor (courtesy: Torbay Liberal Democrats)

“This is not an issue of party politics but of decency and humanity.”

Defending the decision earlier in the week, Cllr Darling said Torbay’s housing situation was so dire the council had been forced to make housing offers to people in places far away from the Bay such as Bath, Weston-super-Mare and Glastonbury.

He said the situation in Afghanistan was “mortifying”, but added: “We’re having real massive challenges to support our own people let alone Afghan refugees.”

Cllr Dart said he understood the difficulty of the situation but stressed that the council had a duty to provide whatever support it could, even if any housing was temporary. Speaking on the council’s justifications he said: “I don’t buy it, I don’t buy the argument – it’s just not acceptable.

“You have to go above and beyond for the people who are in desperate need and these people are in desperate need.”

Cllr Dart is passionate about the issue. He works for refugee charity Care4Calais which is currently organising resources to help the Afghan refugees that do arrive in the UK.

He said some of the money Torbay Council saved last financial year – nearly £10 million – could be used to provide support. “It’s not like the council can’t afford to spend some money. Councils across the country are going to have to spend money to help these refugees.

“Just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. It’s just not acceptable in my eyes.”

Last week council leader Steve Darling sent a letter to the government’s housing minister in which he outlined the “perfect storm” facing Torbay’s housing stock and asked for help in finding more rental accommodation. He said the crisis had been exasperated by an increase in homes being used to AirBnB rentals and the rise of remote working leading more people to move to  the Bay. Almost 150 Torbay households are currently in temporary accommodation. 

According to Devon Home Choice, the council’s social housing platform, more than 1.400 households were in housing need in Torbay as of last month, up from 1,157 in 2019.

People responding to the issue on Radio Exe's social channels are split. Many people agree with Torbay's decision to prioritise local people for public housing. Others say the humanitarian crisis makes this an exception and want the council to respond to the crisis.

This article was amended on Friday evening at the request of Steve Darling, the leader of Torbay Council, to clarify that Mr Dart and Mr Howgate were speaking before the council's request for private landlords to offer long-term accommodation to Afghan refugees.