New housing to meet humanitarian needs move a step closer

Twelve properties have been acquired by South Kesteven District Council to provide homes for families fleeing war-torn countries around the world.

They will initially be used as temporary housing for Afghan and Ukrainian evacuee families who have arrived legally in the UK. The homes will later be occupied by families on the SKDC Housing Register.

The cost of just over £1.8m was funded jointly from the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund and the Council’s Housing Revenue Account budget.

The 12 homes in Langtoft, near Market Deeping, are the first of a total of 21 earmarked for the scheme in South Kesteven, which was supported by Full Council, and are a mix of two and three-bedroom new-build houses and two-bedroom bungalows.

SKDC’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Cllr Phil Dilks, said: “This process will help refugees at a time when they need it the most, having escaped the prospect of terrible suffering in their own countries.

“The properties we have identified for purchase provide value for money and, at the same time, enable the Council to progress this important project within a challenging timescale.

“The new properties, which we expect to take ownership of by the end of the month, also provide SKDC with an opportunity to add valuable assets to our own property portfolio when the demand for housing is so strong.”

The Local Authority Housing Fund helps provide affordable accommodation for legal evacuees until their visas expire in around 3-5 years’ time, by supporting local authorities.

Afghan resettlement prioritises those who assisted the UK with military operations in the country, plus those at greatest risk from the Taliban. Schemes to assist Ukraine nationals focus on legal resettlement and support for women and children refugees displaced by the conflict.