Wokingham will do whatever it can to help any Afghan refugees in need of resettlement in the borough – that’s the promise from council leader John Halsall.
He said Wokingham Borough Council is still waiting for details from the government, but staff are poised to take appoprorate action.
Cllr Halsall also answered criticism from some online commentators after the council previously indicated they would take two or three families for the government’s resettlement scheme.
“We will be stepping up to the plate,” he promised. “We’re not limiting ourselves to two or three families at the moment, we don’t know what the government wants us to do, how many they’ve got out (of Kabul) and how many they want to settle here.
“These people helped our soldiers and we’ve got to help them.
“We have an obligation to help those people who helped us, particularly those at risk from the Taliban.”
An example of this, he said, would be people from the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s a very difficult situation and, as a council, we have to do our very best to help. I really don’t know what that means yet.”
There have also been comments on social media from people arguing that the UK should put its own housing needs first.
One commentator wrote: “If we can find homes for these refugees then we should house and look after our homeless servicemen in equal measure.”
Responding, Cllr Halsall felt that while the council’s decisions will always be criticised by some, this was a time when it “really has to do the right thing, and the right thing is to support people who supported us”.
Cllr Halsall said that Wokingham Borough Council has been proactive in managing its housing situation.
“We don’t have a huge surplus of houses (available),” he said. “Managing the waiting lists means the pipeline of houses is dedicated to people who need them.”
And to those Wokingham residents who commented on social media that they had been waiting for a number of years to bid on social housing, Cllr Halsall urged them to get in touch:
“I would welcome anyone who feels they have been (waiting for years) to write to me, I will look at the case.
“My understanding is that pretty much all those who are entitled to housing are satisfied not in a matter of years, but a matter of months.”
READ MORE: Wokingham rallies round to offer help to refugees
Earlier this week, Cllr Halsall urged residents wanting to offer practical support to refugees to donate to charities such as The Cowshed.
And Vickie Robertson, who co-leads Gossip Girls in Action — Wokingham for Refugees, said her group is collecting items for care packages.
These are being sent to Manchester, where many of those being resettled are arriving by aeroplane.
The packs include playing cards, colouring books, pens, pencils and notebooks for families to use as they arrive at hotels in the city.
She hopes the group, which is part of a council-led resettlement scheme, will be able to help prepare homes for the arrival of Afghan families.
