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Councils 'will get special grants to rent or buy large homes' for big Afghan refugee families - some with as many as TWELVE people in

Councils are set to get grants from the government to rent or buy large homes for thousands of Afghan refugees.

The average size of the families coming to the UK is thought to be seven, but at least one family is believed to be made up of 12 people.

So far local authorities have offered to host up to 2,500 people, but the numbers seeking refuge under the scheme for Afghans who helped British forces could reach five times that level.

Thousands more are expected to come to the UK under a separate longer-term resettlement scheme for those vulnerable to persecution by the Taliban.  

Although the details are unclear, the suggestion of grants to buy homes could spark resentment in local communities, with many Britons struggling to afford such properties. 

It comes amid fears more than 1,000 Afghans who assisted British troops face being left behind when mercy flights cease in the coming days.

A Government source told the Times: 'The greatest challenge is that councils simply don't have enough vacant properties.

 

Councils who have agreed to help house Afghan refugees will be given grants to rent and buy large family homes to fill the demand. Pictured: Evacuation charter flight arrives from Kabul

Councils who have agreed to help house Afghan refugees will be given grants to rent and buy large family homes to fill the demand. Pictured: Evacuation charter flight arrives from Kabul

More than 100 councils have so far agreed to help house refugees. Pictured: An RAF aircraft, believed to be carrying passengers repatriated from Afghanistan, lands at RAF Brize Norton

More than 100 councils have so far agreed to help house refugees. Pictured: An RAF aircraft, believed to be carrying passengers repatriated from Afghanistan, lands at RAF Brize Norton

'We are looking at other options which could see councils renting properties of the right size or even purchasing them and adding them to their long-term housing stock.'

More than 100 local councils have pledged their support in rehoming displaced Afghans since the first RAF rescue mission for those fleeing Kabul landed in the United Kingdom last week.

Local authorities across the country, from Wiltshire to Northumberland, have committed to taking in displaced Afghans as Boris Johnson launched plans to resettle up to 25,000 refugees over five years.

Families fleeing Afghanistan have been rehomed in West Yorkshire, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Surrey and Melton in Leicestershire.

Council leaders and mayors in Liverpool, London, Kent and Essex have all shared strong statements promising to provide support in their communities in the wake of the Taliban's devastating advance to Kabul.

Councils have already been offered about £10,000 per Afghan refugee to help provide them with accommodation and support.

The Government is offering councils £10,000 per Afghan refugee but reports suggest this could increase. Pictured: Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul

The Government is offering councils £10,000 per Afghan refugee but reports suggest this could increase. Pictured: Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul 

But the Government has put up a further £5million, according to the Times, which could increase in the coming months. 

Women, girls and those facing persecution will get priority as some 20,000 are granted the right to live in the UK – with 5,000 expected in the first year.

Local authorities have been asked to support efforts to relocate approximately 3,000 displaced Afghans in the coming weeks.

Downing Street has already received more than 2,000 accommodation promises from 104 councils.

Afghans allowed to come to the UK will be distributed across the country, the Government previously indicated.

A spokesman said it would work with the devolved administrations and local councils to make sure Afghans get help to rebuild their lives.

With hopes fading of an extension to President Joe Biden's August 31 deadline, sources said that the 'freedom flights' may only continue until Thursday ¿ even under the best case scenario

With hopes fading of an extension to President Joe Biden's August 31 deadline, sources said that the 'freedom flights' may only continue until Thursday – even under the best case scenario

The Government wants more councils to come forward with 'hard offers' of accommodation amid concerns about the number of refugees in temporary accommodation.

Boris Johnson said last week as plans were drawn up to resettle refugees: 'We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have worked with us to make Afghanistan a better place over the last 20 years.

'Many of them, particularly women, are in urgent need of our help. I am proud that the UK has been able to put in place this route to help them and their families live safely in the UK.' 

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'There is already an enormous effort under way to support those arriving from Afghanistan, with close to a third of councils already stepping up to support new arrivals.

'However, we urgently need more offers of support to welcome Afghan families who have stood shoulder to shoulder with the UK, serving our troops and our country so bravely in recent years.

'With this extra support in place I'm calling on all councils who have not yet come forward to contact us with a firm offer of support to help our Afghan friends and their families as they build a new life in safety here.'

 

MailOnline understands that there are at least approximately 2,000 Afghan refugees already being housed in temporary emergency accommodation - mainly in hotels - across the UK.

Manchester is currently home to approximately 1,000 displaced Afghans, while West and North Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and a handful of other counties are housing hundreds of refugees.

It comes amid fears that up to 1,000 Afghan refugees face being left behind as desperate scenes continue to unfold outside a temporary British processing unit at Kabul's airport, illustrating the lottery faced by those trying to reach the UK.

As the evacuation operation entered its final hours, sources told the Mail that several hundred workers and their families are likely to be left in the country because they cannot get through the chaos in Kabul.

With hopes fading of an extension to President Joe Biden's August 31 deadline, sources said that the 'freedom flights' may only continue until Thursday – even under the best case scenario.

Yesterday, ministers outlined plans to extract another 6,000 UK nationals and eligible Afghans - roughly the same as have already been taken out - before the operation is wound up. 

But there are about 7,000 who Britain would ideally like to rescue – a scenario which could result in more than 1,000 being left behind.

Many have already tried to get to sanctuary at Kabul airport but have been unable to make it through the chaotic queues or have simply been turned away. Others are still in hiding, unwilling to run the gauntlet of Taliban checkpoints.

Among the 1,000 whose fate is uncertain are as many as 100 interpreters who served with British forces.

According to campaigners, these translators and their families could number 600 in total. 

About another 50 translators have not replied to requests from UK officials to report to Kabul airport, raising fears they are missing or may too scared to travel.

How will the new resettlement scheme work and who will get priority? 

The resettlement programme is a new initiative to help Afghans forced to flee their country as refugees.   

It is separate from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy , which grants haven to former interpreters and others who helped Western forces over the past 20 years.

The two schemes are explained below: 

Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy:

This is available to any current or former locally-employed staff who worked for the British forces who are assessed to be at a 'serious risk' of being killed. 

Successful applicants will be offered priority entry into the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. 

Local staff who work or worked in the public eye and who could be at risk as the security situation evolves will be relocated to the UK on a routine basis, and those not eligible to move will be offered other support such as security advice and relocation within Afghanistan. 

Councils have been asked to help relocate approximately 3,000 displaced Afghans. Pictured: A passenger gives thumbs up after arriving on flight from Afghanistan

Councils have been asked to help relocate approximately 3,000 displaced Afghans. Pictured: A passenger gives thumbs up after arriving on flight from Afghanistan

Some 10,000 former Afghan staff and their family members are expected to be relocated to the UK under ARAP. 

Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme: 

The government is aiming for the new Afghanistan citizens' resettlement scheme to resettle 5,000 Afghan nationals who are at risk due to the current crisis in its first year, and a total of 20,000 in the long term. 

Priority will be given to women and girls, and religious and other minorities. There will be a particular focus on whether people are at risk of human rights abuses and dehumanising treatment by the Taliban. The UK can reject cases on 'security, war crimes or other grounds'. 

The initiative will be modelled on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme which launched in 2014 in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR identifies potential cases for the UK to consider and applicants are then vetted by British officials.

The government has insisted that the new route will not compromise on national security and any person arriving on the route will have to pass the same strict security checks as those resettled through other schemes.  

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