North Yorkshire councillors spoke after nearly £1 million was approved to house three Afghan families.
That's because over 30,000 Afghans came to the UK under a resettlement scheme. The aid was given after the Taliban in Kabul acquired it. Staying in Afghanistan grants asylum to at-risk groups.
Councils across the country are currently being given government grants to provide fixed housing to Afghan refugees, rather than hotels and other temporary accommodations.
However, Councillor Michel Donohue Montlief believes this should not be at the expense of current council tenants.
Council has sourced three new four-bedroom homes in Selby
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Speaking to GB News, she said:
“So, in this scheme, what we had is that Congress was sourced from the developer, three new four-bedroom homes (Selby, North Yorkshire) and the government.
“The rest is funding by opposing what's called a housing income account, which is to protect council tenants using their rent and other matters.”
Councillor Donohue Montlief sympathizes with his obligation to house Afghan refugees. However, she says this should not be at the expense of tenants of the council's home.
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Councillor Michel Donohue Montclef
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“While the government is removing the costs of hotels for individuals in housing, what it doesn't tell the public is that they've received debts from some of the poorest people in our society.” she said.
“If we can intervene in the market to support the resettlement scheme for Afghan citizens, why are the government not intervening in the market to support people who say they don't have enough affordable housing?
“I have no problem helping Afghan people, but do you know why we're not helping people who are struggling to ride a residential ladder?
“If we can do that for one scheme, we should do it for everyone. It's my view that everyone treats equally.”
Selby's three-bedroom Afghan family-friendly three-bedroom costs nearly £977,000.
General views of Selby housing
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In a statement, Cllr Simon Myers, a housing executive member of North Yorkshire Council, said: Therefore, it cannot be used to invest in existing residential stocks.
“This scheme is essential to helping those at risk their lives to help the British forces in Afghanistan, and they were forced to flee.
“These properties are initially available to families from the scheme, but will then be provided through a select allocation of North Yorkshire homeland to those seeking to borrow social housing, and with grant funding, they will be able to provide a greater number of options. You can purchase real estate types in the range.
“We recently committed to increasing our housing stock with 500 more homes over the next five years.
“We have allocated about £297 million to our 2025/26 budget for investments to improve our tenant standards and improve our existing homes.”
Local government authorities are also working with the government to improve access to data on asylum and resettlement, allowing councils to plan and monitor impacts. For more information, please see here
