The chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee (LUHCC) has written to the government expressing “significant concerns” on the support available for Ukrainian refugees and for local authorities.
Clive Betts asked a series of questions in a letter to refugees minister Lord Harrington. These relate to the matching of refugees with the potential hosts, the funding for local authorities, the sharing of data with councils and longer-term considerations for supporting refugees in the UK.
Betts said that some Ukrainian families arriving in the UK had been forced to declare themselves homeless and were not getting the support they need.
His letter highlighted the lack of funding for local authorities under the Ukraine Family Scheme, and suggested that calls from the LUHCC and from local government for additional support have “thus far been ignored”.
“Local authorities will see increasing demands for their services and yet are being told by government that there is no funding to cover this under the Ukraine Family Scheme. The government needs to step up and put this right,” said Betts.
He suggested that a “disconnect” in the matching process meant that the hospitality of potential sponsors was not being taken up.
“Data should be shared with local authorities so they can match refugees to sponsors as quickly as possible and so that councils can plan the services and resources to support those fleeing from Ukraine,” he added.
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