West Berkshire Council to buy new homes for Ukrainians and Afghans

There are about 500 Ukrainians living with local hosts in west Berkshire

A number of Ukrainian and Afghan families living in Berkshire are to be given new homes.

West Berkshire Council will make 17 homes available over the next 18 months as it says there is increasing pressure on housing displaced people.

The authority said 30 families were currently living in hotels.

The new arrangement will see the council use a £2.5m government grant to buy a mix of flats and houses.

Several Afghan families resettled in the UK after the Taliban retook power in 2021 while thousands of Ukrainians fled to the UK in the past year following the Russian invasion.

Councillor Howard Woollaston, member for housing at the council, said thanks to the "generosity and compassion of local people" many Ukrainian and Afghan families have settled in the area.

"This project will mean we have more housing options for people settling here and will reduce our reliance on temporary or emergency accommodation," he said.

"Most importantly, it will mean 17 families will have a place to call home."

The government has allocated £500m to English councils facing the most significant housing pressures, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.