A council has been awarded government funding to buy homes for Afghan refugees wanting to build their lives in the district.

West Oxfordshire District Council has welcomed funding from the Department of Levelling Up and Communities (DHLUC) .

The Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) has provided £735,500 to buy four houses from the open market, with three allocated to Afghan refugees and one for general temporary accommodation.

This will alleviate pressure on existing affordable and emergency housing, said the council.

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Giles Hughes, chief executive officer for West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The suffering experienced by the people of Afghanistan has led to some families fleeing the country under threat of violence.

“We are committed to playing our part to support those fleeing persecution, especially when so many of those Afghan families who have entered the country have supported our military over the years.

“This funding means that we can accommodate Afghan refugees with no impact on existing affordable housing stock or emergency accommodation.

"As a result, we can maintain the levels of homelessness support that we provide currently.

"The houses will later become part of the general affordable housing stock after the refugees’ resettlement needs have been met.”

The funding is the third round of the LHAF, with the Council receiving £3,521,597 in the first two rounds, enabling it to provide 23 affordable homes.

Soha Housing will partner with the council to deliver the four additional homes.

The council will work with Soha on delivering a ‘fit out’ using existing funding and will also explore whether the fit-out costs can be delivered through previous refugee funding allocated to the council which is no longer required for its original purpose.