Afghans prioritised over veterans for housing, ex-soldiers fear

Telegraph

3 days ago

Afghans given asylum as a result of the worst data leak in British history have been prioritised for housing at the expense of former soldiers, veterans believe.
Initially put up in hotels and military bases, asylum seekers can become eligible for council housing after nine months in the UK.
However, the housing system is at breaking point, with local authority waiting lists at record levels across the country.
Tenants include the disabled, victims of domestic violence, people leaving care and benefits claimants, as well as veterans.
Under the Armed Forces Covenant, the Government and local authorities are committed to helping military families, including former personnel, access housing, healthcare and education.
But veterans have voiced fears that an influx of Afghans is making it more difficult for them to secure accommodation.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Britain was secretly relocating nearly 24,000 Afghan soldiers and their families to the UK after their identities were published online, putting them at risk of Taliban reprisals.
The Government will spend £7 billion bringing them to Britain over five years, with 18,500 already flown in.
Berkshire, Lancashire and Scotland
According to court documents, Afghans have been sent to Bracknell in Berkshire, Preston in Lancashire, Aberdeen in Scotland, and Cardiff in Wales.
Others were sent to West Sussex and Yorkshire, while plans were afoot for hotels to be opened up to them in the North East, East Anglia and the East Midlands.
Some of the Afghans sent to Bracknell under the scheme were housed in a four-star hotel, given free English lessons and received medical treatment from the NHS.
But the area's Labour-run council, which is responsible for housing the homeless, reportedly did not provide a home for George Ford, a Parachute Regiment veteran left suffering from PTSD after being shot during a tour of Afghanistan.
Speaking last month before the data leak was made public, Mr Ford said he had been left at 'rock bottom' by his inability to secure housing.
'I think it's really important to highlight that there's nothing wrong with us opening our doors to these people,' he told GB News.
'They were under the ruling from the Taliban, and they were being brutalised under horrific acts.'
The veteran, who has been sleeping on friends' sofas while looking for a permanent home, added: 'But ultimately, we need to prioritise the local residents. I'm not the definition of a homeless person. I'm not living in a tent, I've still got a family and the support around me that love me and care for me, but ultimately, I need my own place.'
'They're entitled to sanctuary'
Some local politicians have discussed how large intakes of new arrivals can put pressure on already-stretched services, such as GP practices.
John Edwards, an independent town councillor in Bracknell, said veterans unable to secure housing felt 'betrayed', along with other needy residents, such as single mothers.
'Anyone who served our armed forces – including Afghans – should be entitled to sanctuary here,' he said. 'My criticism is the policy not the people, they should be treated with the utmost respect and dignity, but there clearly isn't enough infrastructure here for residents or veterans, so these schemes need to be thought about.'
While he stressed that he had no reason to believe Afghan refugees were being pushed ahead in the housing queue – unless individual circumstances such as medical conditions meant they should be prioritised – the councillor said veteran homelessness 'isn't fair'.
Veterans can struggle to find a home after leaving the forces because they are not fast-tracked on council homeless lists, unlike asylum seekers.
But with one in 400 veterans found to be homeless, rough sleeping or living in a refuge for domestic abuse in a government survey this year, concerns are being raised that the current system is not sustainable.
Terry Reed, who runs the charity Boxing for Veterans, said: 'I think [Afghans] should get help, especially the ones that have assisted the UK forces, because some of their intelligence would have saved lives.
'But I still think our veterans should get first priority. A lot of veterans do feel let down.'
Housed in barracks
Hundreds of Afghans were housed at Cameron Barracks, on the outskirts of Inverness, Scotland, until May this year as part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), under which those who helped British forces in the war against the Taliban could apply to come to the UK.
Cllr Duncan McDonald, a former British Army major who served in Afghanistan, claimed that Afghan refugees had been prioritised ahead of veterans in the Highland city.
'I think there is every reason to believe that has happened,' the retired Royal Corps of Logistics officer said. 'The refugees had a different status.
'There is a big housing shortage in the Highlands for everyone. I would like to see veterans given more priority, but I do understand the difficulty of that.'
Unlike most veterans, Afghans unable to pay for a private tenancy would probably be eligible for 'priority' emergency accommodation and long-term housing when their Government-funded accommodation ended after nine months, according to homeless charity Shelter.
This is because their escape from Afghanistan would cause them to be classed as 'vulnerable'.
Many Afghans coming to the UK are initially housed in hotels, despite Sir Keir Starmer pledging to end their use by 2029. A total of 32,000 migrants are currently living in such accommodation, at an estimated cost of £2.8 billion a year.
The hotels have been widely criticised because of their cost and impact on community cohesion.
While many staying in migrant hotels do not cause any problems or upset, some residents have reported feeling less safe alongside the new arrivals.
Earlier this week, protesters gathered outside a hotel housing migrants in Epping, Essex, where an Ethiopian accused of committing three sexual assaults eight days after arriving in the UK, is currently based.
Asylum hotels were widely targeted in the disorder which erupted after the Southport massacre last year.
According to court documents, Conservative ministers in the previous government gave a 'strong steer' that the incoming Afghans should not be housed in hotels.
At one point under the scheme, 20 per cent of all Ministry of Defence (MoD) property – primarily houses built for serving armed forces personnel – was given over to housing the Afghans.
However, the Government has estimated that as many as 10 per cent of the new arrivals may at some point enter the 'homelessness system'.
The migrants have been spirited out of the Taliban-controlled country to Islamabad in neighbouring Pakistan, given security and health checks and then flown on charter flights to Stansted Airport in Essex and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
A spokesman for the MoD said: 'This Government is committed to renewing the nation's contract with those who have served and is delivering at pace on veterans' housing; including removing the local connection requirement for veterans seeking social housing in England and [providing] an extra £3.5 million for homelessness services.
'The Prime Minister announced new legislation to put the Armed Forces community, including veterans, at the heart of government decision-making.
'And we are creating Op Valour, a first-of-its-kind, UK-wide support system, to ensure Veterans have access to joined-up health, housing and employment services, regardless of where they live.'
A spokesman for Bracknell Forest council said: 'The Afghan families are in transitional accommodation, not council-provided housing. This scheme does not impact the local housing list. Our housing policy requires a two-year residency to qualify.'