As many as 8,500 Afghan refugees who were evacuated to the UK after the Taliban takeover and have been living in hotels across the UK are to be presented with eviction notices.
The British government plan, according to the Daily Telegraph, to be announced on Tuesday, will come with funding of £750m. The first hotel eviction notices will be sent out within weeks and Afghans will be offered accommodation in former military bases and potentially ferries.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “We are deeply concerned about many elements of these plans, in particular the risk that they could lead to people who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan being left homeless and destitute on the streets of Britain.
“This is not how those who were promised a warm welcome in the UK should be treated.”
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He added: “Hotels are not the right place for refugees to live but the fact that thousands of Afghans have been left in them for months on end is a consequence of government mismanagement and a failure to work successfully in partnership with local councils and other agencies to find suitable housing.”
“To expect councils to suddenly move them out of hotels by putting pressure of Afghan families risks causing great misery and anxiety for those who have already experienced trauma and upheaval.”
The plan does not apply to those who are living in hotels managed by the Home Office, although an announcement is expected on this next week.
The Independent reports, that those who are not allocated a home or decline an offer of one could be forced to present to local councils as homeless, it is feared.
The British government has been criticised for its handling of the Afghan refugee crisis, with charities saying it has not done enough to help those who have fled the country.
