Agenda item

The Executive Member for Culture and Communities and the Director of Environment and Community Services submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to provide an update on the impact of the Homes for Ukraine programme in Middlesbrough and seek agreement on how it was to be managed locally.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) had released guidance around the expectations on local authorities, as a result of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The guidance covered issues such as data sharing, safeguarding, payments for hosts and guests, education, health, community integration and more.

Middlesbrough Council proposed the following management approach:

·        liaising with North East Regional Migration Partnership (NEMP), British Red Cross, and Local Resilience Forum (LRF) regarding reception arrangements at port of entry;

·        completing property checks when data on sponsor was shared by DHLUC;

·        completing safeguarding checks through internal systems and Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) as required;

·        managing the interim payment for guests;

·        providing education;

·        making appropriate service referrals;

·        supporting arrivals in accessing benefits and working in partnership with statutory and voluntary services;

·        providing homelessness assistance if matching failed in line with statutory duties;

·        administering payments to sponsors;

·        utilising a proportion of the tariff to launch trauma informed hosting courses through VCS; and

·        ensuring health protection was in place (i.e. GP registration, Covid vaccination, childhood immunisations).

Appendix 1 of the submitted report set out the expectations on Middlesbrough Council for Ukraine Resettlement and Appendix 2 illustrated the local process for guests arriving in Middlesbrough.

In response to an enquiry regarding the marketing of, and registration of interest in, the programme, Members were advised that as a national scheme, the Council had advertised the programme in the local press and established a local team to facilitate the management of it.  To date, 13 sponsors and 28 guests had been matched; the programme was limited by the number of potential sponsors available and therefore it was difficult to predict how much these figures would increase.  Members wished to note that the Council’s Communications team could place a link on the authority’s website, to the respective area of the Government website, for potential sponsors.

A Member made reference to paragraph 22 of the report and queried the potential costs that the Council would be required to cover in respect of administration costs, including costs of fraud prevention.  In response, the Director of Finance advised that these would be minimal; cash flow impact and the risk of fraud were both small.

OPTIONS

The option to do nothing had been considered and it was not recommended due to the fact that central government had placed responsibility on local authorities to support guests and make check on sponsors. It was therefore necessary to have a management plan in place.

ORDERED

That the impact of the Homes for Ukraine programme in Middlesbrough be noted and that the management approach, to introduce the scheme locally, be agreed.

REASON

Introducing the management approach planned to allow the Council and key partners to provide services to sponsors and guests and ensure that any support needs were met.