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Integration support for Afghan refugees

  • The council has provided funding for integration support, including driving lessons, for some of the Afghan refugees who have legally settled in the district.
  • The people eligible for this support provided important support to Her Majesty’s Government defence and security mission in Afghanistan, risking their lives in doing so.
  • They have been assessed by the Home Office to be at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution as a result of their support for the UK Government; this is why they are now in the UK and have settled here under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). This scheme has been running since 2021.
  • These activities are funded by the UK government, using an integration fund provided to the council. This fund is provided to the council for the express purpose of helping the refugees integrate into the local community and live more independently.
  • This is ringfenced funding which the council cannot use for other purposes. Council Tax money is not used and activities funded by the integration fund for Afghan refugees do not detract from the delivery of the council’s other services.
  • The activities funded using the integration fund enables a saving to the taxpayer over the long-term by reducing the future demand from refugees for support from other public services.
  • These activities are not unique to Cherwell: councils across the UK are doing similar integration work, at the request of the UK government, from the same grant funding.
  • The refugees resettled here under ARAP entered the UK legally. The council resettlement team only works with refugees whose cases have already been decided by the Home Office; the team does not work with illegal immigrants.