THREE Afghan families are moving into empty Ministry of Defence homes in Buckinghamshire, with an additional six families set to join them in the next two weeks.

These families, who worked with the British Military, are eligible to move into these houses and are paying for them using housing allowance received under Universal Credit.

The families arrived in Buckinghamshire under the Afghan Resettlement Scheme, which aims to support those who helped the UK efforts in Afghanistan or worked with the British Military or British Embassy.

To ensure these families integrate into their new communities and have the support they need, Buckinghamshire Council is providing assistance with medical needs, English lessons, job placements, and children's education.

Councillor Mark Winn, Cabinet Member for homelessness, expressed pride in Buckinghamshire Council's commitment to protecting this vulnerable group of people.

He said: "I have experience through working on an overseas operation myself [in the former Yugoslavia] of the type of support locally employed people gave to our military forces and therefore totally understand how exposed they would have felt had they stayed in their own country.

"The council is committed to keeping people safe from vulnerable situations, which is why we continue to work hard, together with our partners, to welcome and support people arriving here from Afghanistan and other war-torn countries who are in urgent need of protection.”

Matthew Applegate, Chief Executive of Fairhive, expressed pride in partnering with Buckinghamshire Council on this essential project.

He said: “We are proud to partner with Buckinghamshire Council on such an important project. We have already housed a number of displaced Afghan families in our own properties, and we therefore understand their housing and support needs.

"Fairhive acts as the landlord for these nine properties and they will be managed in much the same way as our existing housing stock. Household members will have the same access to all of the services we provide, such as welfare benefits support, help to get on-line, advice and guidance about tenancy conditions and opportunities to work with us as involved residents.”

The events in Afghanistan back in 2021 caused catastrophic consequences, creating a heightened sense of vulnerability and fear for the Afghan population.

Operation Pitting, carried out during the evacuation of Kabul, enabled Afghan nationals and UK citizens to leave the country, seeking refuge and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the UK.