The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is providing temporary homes in the Vale of White Horse for Afghan families who have supported the UK’s military operations.

This initiative follows the Vale of White Horse District Council's support for Afghan families.

Newly arrived families from overseas will benefit from the MOD’s transitional accommodation this month.

These families are part of the Home Office’s Afghan Resettlement Accommodation Policy (ARAP) scheme and will have access to a range of health and educational services.

The MOD's provision of short-term accommodation is a crucial step in the resettlement process for these Afghan families.

After a brief stay, families will relocate to permanent accommodation where they can start rebuilding their lives.

At the same time, Afghan families are being moved from hotels into repurposed military homes under the management of the district council.

The council will act as landlords, managing the properties and offering advice to the Afghan families.

These homes will provide stability for 18 to 24 months, during which the council will assist the families in transitioning to long-term homes.

This move is part of a wider partnership amongst the district council, MOD and local organisations, aimed at supporting families at risk due to their support for the British armed forces in Afghanistan.

The Vale of White Horse District Council is already preparing 44 properties for Afghan families leaving hotel accommodation.

An additional 27 properties in Shrivenham have been earmarked as transitional accommodation.

Families residing in these 27 locations will remain under the MOD's care during their stay.

After approximately six weeks, families may be matched to local MOD accommodation or elsewhere in the UK.

Councillor Helen Pighills, cabinet member for community health and wellbeing at Vale of White Horse District Council said: "We continue to extend a warm welcome to those new families arriving in the district under the ARAP scheme – they stood alongside us, putting themselves in harm’s way during our country’s military operations in Afghanistan."

She added: "Whilst we are now rolling out our plan to lease and manage properties at MOD sites in the Vale for our Afghan guests, we're working closely with our MOD and local authority partners to help the additional new families arriving."

The council is also committed to working with partner authorities, residents, community groups, voluntary organisations and health bodies in Oxfordshire to provide safe shelter and support to refugees and asylum seekers from countries like Afghanistan and Ukraine and those arriving under the Hong Kong British National visa scheme.