One in five Afghan refugees evicted from hotel accommodation in England have presented to councils as homeless, according to new figures branded “shameful”.
The Local Government Association has called on ministers to pay to keep hotel places open for longer as families struggle to find somewhere to live.
The LGA said anecdotal evidence suggests around 20% of Afghans who have been asked to leave hotels are homeless and the situation “will likely get worse in the coming weeks”.
Labour MP and former soldier Dan Jarvis, who served in Afghanistan, said the figures were “shameful”.
The UK promised a safe haven for thousands of people who had to flee their home country as the Taliban swept back into power in August 2021.
The majority of those who came over worked for the British government and armed forces in Afghanistan and have been living in hotels since arriving.
However the hotel set-up was not intended to be permanent and in April, the government started issuing three-month notices.
Mr Jarvis told BBC’s Radio Four: “These are not economic migrants. These are Afghans who placed themselves in mortal peril to serve alongside British forces in Afghanistan and they did so at our request.
“These are people to whom we’ve given an invitation to come to our country. Nobody should be homeless and these people need to be given the time and space… to ensure that they are properly relocated.”
He said while it was reasonable to move people out of hotels, councils need more time to help the families find a suitable place to live.
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Afghan refugees given three months notice to move from hotels
“I think what we need to do is move at a pace that sees these Afghan families transition in a way that allows local authorities the time to identify suitable accommodation.
“The notion that people are being forced to become homeless is just shameful. And we are creating another set of problems.”
The Home Office said it has pumped £285m of new funding into the resettlement of Afghans into permanent accommodation.
But Shaun Davies, LGA chairman, said there is “huge pressure” on councils as they deal with “an acute shortage of housing across the country”.
Government figures published last month showed the overall numbers of households and children in temporary accommodation in England are at record highs.
Some 104,510 households were in temporary accommodation by the end of March – a 25-year high.
Mr Davies said the situation regarding Afghan refugees is causing “disruption and distress for families, some of whom are particularly vulnerable”.
“Government should pay to keep hotel places open for those struggling to find accommodation. Hotels should also not be closed just to switch to becoming hotels for other new arrivals, so councils can continue to focus on finding Afghan families homes and schools.”
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Veterans minister Johnny Mercer said: “Mr Jarvis is correct that these people aren’t illegal migrants. That’s exactly the reason why assisting them into settled accommodation in communities across the UK is the right thing to do.
“Local authorities have had plenty of time to identify suitable accommodation – some of these families have been in hotels for over 18 months.
“But this is also about Afghan’s helping themselves, and central government has put forward a £285m package to assist with this.”
A government spokesperson said: “Hotels are not, and were never designed to be, long-term accommodation and it is not in Afghans’ best interests to be living in hotel accommodation for months or years on end.
“We’ve seen good progress with Afghans leaving hotels, with 10,500 Afghans so far provided with homes. We will continue to provide extensive support, backed by £285m of new funding to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into permanent accommodation.”
