Wiltshire Council pledges support as it welcomes the government action for Ukraine refugees

Wiltshire Council has welcomed the details of the government scheme to support Ukrainian refugees to seek refuge in the UK.

The government has laid out plans for welcoming refugees in its Homes for Ukraine scheme including £350 a month to people offering spare rooms in their home and support to councils so those coming to the UK can be helped to access services and children can attend schools.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council said: We are already aware of many offers of support from Wiltshire residents to provide homes for Ukraine people who need a safe place to stay. Once again residents are showing their generous nature and we are preparing to welcome those who need a safe home here. We are ready to take action and provide assistance where it is needed. The government has said it will provide financial assistance to local authorities to provide wraparound support to refugees and we are waiting for further detail on this.  We have previously asked the Ministry of Defence to consider releasing some of the many hundreds of empty homes they have in Wiltshire for refugees and we'll be asking that same question again to see how we can all do our bit to provide a place for these people to stay.

The government scheme will offer a route to those who want to come to the UK who have someone willing to provide them with a home. Individuals, charities, community groups and businesses can volunteer accommodation. Sponsors can provide accommodation for as long as they are able but there is a minimum expectation of six months. Those arriving will  need to meet standard security checks. Sponsors and all adults in the sponsoring households will also be subject to security checks and may be subject to safeguarding checks too.

People interested can record their interest at www.gov.uk/homes-for-ukraine to receive updates and more information on how to apply. Then on Friday 18 March, Phase One of the visa application route will open for sponsors and named contacts to apply to the scheme. Sponsors can be of any nationality, with any immigration status provided they have at least six months' leave to remain within the UK. In the first phase of the scheme sponsors will need to have a named person whom they wish to sponsor. This could be a friend, someone they are already connected with or it could be someone they have been linked with by a charity, faith group or other organisation. Sponsors need to provide accommodation for a minimum of six months. The government will provide an optional payment of £350 per month for up to 12 months for those offering accommodation.

The government has said it will provide funding at a rate of £10,500 per person to local authorities, with an additional top-up for child education, to enable them to provide much wider support to families to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. Further details will be shared shortly.

Wiltshire Council also has a page with information at Support for Ukraine - Wiltshire Council