Council: refugee homes project in Warwick district 'will not disadvantage those on housing waiting lists'

Warwick District Council is keen to guard against perceptions that a £6.2 million spend on 21 homes specifically to house refugees disadvantages those on housing waiting lists.

The district’s cabinet, the Conservative-led team of councillors in charge, has agreed to borrow £3.67 million to add to £2.8 million of government cash for the project.

The council’s loan from the Public Works Loan Board – central government – is expected to require £3.4 million in interest payments but all of that cost is projected to be covered by rental income.

It will fund the purchase of 19 permanent homes and two bridging houses that the council’s report states are “solely for Ukrainian and Afghan households”.

One of the objectives laid out is to ensure that “areas are not disadvantaged by increased pressures from these arrivals” but among the risks highlighted was “reputational issues such as queue jumping by groups identified”, which the council plans to mitigate through “well thought-out publicity around the scheme”.

Opposition group leaders were asked for their views during the meeting that rubber stamped the plan.

Councillor Mini Mangat (Lab, Leamington Willes) said: “I think it is really important we set the correct narrative, people are not necessarily being put to the back of the queue because there is housing being made available for refugees.”

It was widely agreed by representatives of all parties that the project represents a chance to boost the council’s social housing stock.

Councillor Jan Matecki (Con, Budbrooke), the district’s portfolio holder for housing, said: “In these times of political correctness, I wonder whether the word refugee should be used. These are displaced persons and my family came over as displaced people after World War II.

“If it hadn’t been for the generosity of this country providing them with housing, it would have been a terrible start for them.

“It is a great opportunity for us to help 21 families without it being at the expense of people currently on the housing list.

“No, we are not going to be labelling them as anything other than housing. Nobody will know whether they are privately rented, social rents, affordable rents or whatever.

He added that the council "will probably look at new developments where we can probably get further discounts for buying several homes at a time".

District leader Councillor Andrew Day (Con, Bishop’s Tachbrook) said: “This is a reflection of the hospitality, goodwill and support that is in our community for people that have had to come here as evacuees. They have not chosen to come here, they have had to come here because there is nowhere else for them to settle safely.

"Because they have now found a home, it is appropriate that they no longer rely on the goodwill of spare bedrooms, etc, that they are actually given proper homes and can integrate properly into our community.”