Issue - meetings

To consider aproval for the Council to participate in the Afghan Relocations and Assisance Policy (ATAP

The Committee received a report from the Family Support Manager that outlined the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) which relates to families members of whom had been working directly to support UK forces in Afghanistan and that sought the Committee’s approval for the Council to participate in the Policy to provide support for up to five families and to being open to support in general future refugee schemes in Spelthorne as requested by Central Government.

The Committee were advised that currently the Family Support Team had been supporting a number of families who are being accommodated in temporary accommodations in the Borough before being moved on by the Home Office to  ore permanent accommodation around the country.

The families under the ARAP scheme would be housed in private rental properties and would be fully funded by Central Government and as such, there would be no adverse effect on the current residents of Spelthorne on the Housing Register.

The Family Support Manager advised the Committee that a full-term post would be needed to support the 5 families and that the cost of this would be funded by money provided by Central Government as part of the ARAP. As most of the families have a member that can speak fluent English, recruitment for this post should not be challenging.

The Committee  resolved to:

1.    approve the participation in Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) in Spelthorne to provide support for up to five families; and

2.    to support a policy approach of being open to support in general future refugee schemes in Spelthorne as requested by Central Government, on which detailed reports will be provided.