Honiton: Almost 40 East Devon households offer their home to Ukrainian refugees

Almost 40 households in East Devon have come forward to offer homes for Ukrainian refugees.

According to the Home Office, as of Tuesday 29 March, 37 households in the district had responded to the government's scheme to provide housing to people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

East Devon District Council (EDDC) says its private housing team is undertaking property inspections and Devon County Council (DCC) is carrying out safeguarding checks to make sure the homes are suitable.

It is part of the government-run 'Home's for Ukraine' scheme. Upper-tier local authorities will be paid £10,500 for every Ukrainian refugee housed in their area, with an additional top-up to help support children's education.

Individuals who provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees will be paid £350 per month for up to a year.

Speaking at an EDDC cabinet meeting, John Golding, the council's strategic lead for housing, health and the environment said: "We are totally committed to playing our part in the scheme and are fully engaged in what is quite a rapidly developing project.

"We are also appreciative of the generous offers from sponsors or host households that have come forward in East Devon to provide a home for people fleeing from the horrendous violence that we've been seeing in Ukraine."

Mr Golding said the council is working closely with DCC and other districts to implement the Home Office scheme and highlighted EDDC's efforts to encourage financial donations to Ukraine through recognised charities.

Addressing cabinet, Trevor Leahong, a member of the Ottery Refugee Response Group, said his organisation was trying to set up a local community support system to help arrivals from Ukraine.

The group has around 200 Facebook members, 140 email members and the support of Ottery St Mary councillor Peter Faithful (Independent.)

The Ottery organisation also asked for an update on what EDDC was doing to help Afghan refugees, many of which are still without homes after fleeing the Taliban last year.

Mr Golding said that as of Wednesday 30 March, 55 Afghan refugees were still at a 'bridging' hotel in Exmouth, organised by the Home Office.

He added: "Our housing responsibilities as a district council are pretty much limited to providing a safety net if arrangements fail in the bridging hotel.

"We work closely with Devon County Council, Exmouth Town Council and local voluntary community groups to settle Afghan evacuees into Exmouth. I think that's gone particularly well."

The government is looking predominately for large four-to-six bedroom properties to house Afghan refugees.

EDDC says it has very few suitable properties available and has directed the Home Office to some of the council's housing association partners. Leader of the council Paul Arnott (Independent East Devon Alliance and Democratic Alliance Group, Coly Valley) said: "Isn't this all absolutely heartbreaking? I'm sure we all wish we could do so much more and that we had so many empty homes that we could move people straight into." "We have our own housing crisis. That doesn't mean we mustn't make every effort to help these people but we must be frank with government – we are a district council with limited means, with a very small available housing stock and a huge waiting list of people in serious trouble themselves waiting to get in. "Notwithstanding that this council will do everything it can to help people from Ukraine and the existing and potentially future Afghan refugees." On Wednesday 30 March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that more than four million people had left Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February, Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War Two.