People who continue to provide accommodation beyond six months for Ukrainian refugees in Bath are to receive an extra £100 per month of Government money.
Photo courtesy of B&NES Council
Bath & North East Somerset Council is using central government Homes for Ukraine funding to help continue sponsorship arrangements that so far have seen more than 400 Ukrainian guests welcomed to the local area.
The Government had initially set monthly thank-you payments for sponsors at £350 and asked hosts to sign up for a minimum of six months.
Now, eight months on, sponsors who continue to provide accommodation beyond six months will receive an extra £100 per month of government money, taking the total monthly payments to £450.
Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children, Young People and Communities, said: “In general, the sponsorship arrangements have worked well and I would like to give a big thank you to all our sponsors.
“However, many sponsors only signed-up initially for a six-month period and so it makes sense to do everything we can to keep these arrangements going using the Government funding.
“We have huge pressures on housing in our area, whether that is social housing, private rented accommodation or temporary accommodation, so it is in everyone’s interests to support the continuation of sponsorship accommodation wherever possible.
“We also want to avoid the disruption that ending a sponsorship can bring, including to education and access to other local services.
“The funding for the top-up will come from the central government Homes for Ukraine grant, which is ringfenced to support the programme.
“However, I have also written to Secretary of State Michael Gove asking for urgent clarification about the government’s plans for the level of these thank you payments, particularly as the £350 level set nationally was put in place before the recent increases in inflation and particularly energy costs.”
In addition, the council is also seeking to re-match sponsors for a second six-month period, as well as finding new sponsors.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, email [email protected].
