Elmbridge: Hotels to continue being used for Afghan refugees

Elmbridge Borough Council leader Chris Sadler said progress to house people was slower than desired

Hotels could continue to be used until at least the end of the year to house Afghan refugees in Elmbridge, leaving families in there "much longer than anticipated".

The borough currently has about 240 refugees in temporary accommodation.

The council has committed to homing five households in Elmbridge.

At a meeting of Elmbridge Borough Council's cabinet, council leader Chris Sadler said the pace of rehousing was "slower than desired".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he told members that three families had already been re-homed, with one more due to move in their new home later this month.

He appealed to private landlords to get in touch with the council if they could offer a home for a fifth family.

'Generosity and hospitality'

Mr Sadler said: "We're in close contact with the Home Office and we understand that they will continue to use the hotel as a bridging accommodation until at least the end of this year.

"So that is quite a drain on our resources here, but it's certainly something which our people are doing extremely well.

"The pace of rehousing from these hotels is slower than desired."

Mr Sadler also said the borough was "the second most active in Surrey" for providing support to Ukrainian refugees.

Up to the end of May, 164 Elmbridge households had committed to sponsor 446 Ukrainian refugees, of which about 180 had already arrived in the UK.

The council leader called this "a testament to the generosity and hospitality of our residents".

He said the council was working in a "collective endeavour" with local schools, NHS, voluntary faith and other sectors to "come together to make sure that things actually work out" for both Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.

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