Reading Borough Council pledges to provide homes and support for 10 refugee families from Afghanistan

Cllr Jason Brock, Leader of Reading Borough Council announced: “The situation in Afghanistan is truly distressing and Reading Borough Council confirmed to the Government today we will house and support 10 refugee families from Afghanistan.”

“This is the right thing to do due to the scale of the humanitarian crisis taking place in the country and along with other local authorities, must do everything we can to help."

“We are immensely proud of our City of Sanctuary status and have experience of welcoming those seeking asylum to our town. We want those fleeing violence and persecution to feel safe and secure in our town and are committed to welcoming and integrating refugees into our communities and our culture.”

"The Government has announced the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and we are awaiting details. While we await details of the plans, we will invite our housing association partners to approach us with suitable properties. We have also commissioned Reading Refugee Support Group to provide the wrap around support for the families once they arrive in Reading. It is important we do what we can to support and resettle Afghan refugees and it is essential the Government provides appropriate financial support so we can do this.”

"We know we will receive tremendous support from local people, who are already asking us what they can do to help.”