About the programme
This is a UK Government resettlement scheme, which was announced by the Defence Secretary in December 2024. This is a national scheme and not something councils apply for.
The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) offers relocation and resettlement to Afghan citizens, and their immediate family, who:
- worked for or with the UK Government to support the UK mission in Afghanistan
- are considered vulnerable or in danger from the Taliban
- helped UK efforts in Afghanistan
Alongside British personnel, many Afghans also worked with commitment and courage to support the UK mission in Afghanistan. This includes members of Afghan specialist units who fought valiantly alongside UK personnel, with some giving their lives and others suffering life-changing injuries.
The arrivals are not illegal immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees. They have indefinite leave to remain as granted by the UK Government. Indefinite leave to remain means that the UK is now home for the families and they are regarded as settled in the UK.
Resettlement schemes are distinct from asylum, as those eligible for assistance under these schemes include people who played a key role supporting Britain’s mission in Afghanistan, often at great personal risk.
The scheme in Bracknell Forest
We’re expecting 300 new residents in family groups during spring 2025. They will arrive in 3 cohorts. The first cohort have arrived and are being supported to settle into life in the UK.
Once our original families move out, we may get additional new families, but we will not have more than 300 people at any one time.
Accommodation
The families will live in something called transitional accommodation for up to 9 months. It is not asylum accommodation or a migrant centre.
This is intended to provide time for families to acclimatise to life in the UK, fostering a culture of independent living, without dependency or incurring excessive costs.
After that, the expectation is that they find alternative and more permanent accommodation. We expect that a number of the new families will remain in Bracknell Forest in the longer term, but others may move to be closer to friends and family outside the borough.
We will not disclose the address of our new residents for health and wellbeing reasons and to safeguard our new residents’ confidentiality.
Funding
Council tax and council funding will not directly pay for the scheme.
There is a standalone government funding tariff to support all new resettled Afghan arrivals to integrate into the UK and become self-sufficient. Councils can claim a single tariff per arrival on the ARP.
We have taken up this funding to help us provide care, support and create essential services like education.
Housing list
The scheme will not affect the housing list. Our current housing policy requires a 4-year connection to the area for the housing 'waiting list' and the new one (due to be implemented in mid-May), requires a 2-year residency to qualify. Therefore, the new arrivals will not qualify to join. The new housing policy also prioritises veterans.
We can also confirm that over the past 2 years the number of people on the housing register has dropped (on average, 19%). We can also confirm that we don't have anyone currently placed out of area.
Anyone who needs housing support will continue to receive the help they are entitled to, before and after our new families arrive.
Healthcare
Families will not receive private healthcare. Individuals will be registered with local health services while living in the area and will be able to access the same level of care as other residents – they will be subject to the same waiting and response times. Our NHS partners will access a specific health tariff to increase capacity.
Borough safety
The council regularly checks with the police regarding the safety of the borough. There is no evidence to suggest that crime has increased, or that the safety of residents has reduced since people on the ARP arrived in the borough. Bracknell Forest continues to be one of the safest places in Berkshire.
Thames Valley Police has investigated a social media post made on Sunday 11 May, claiming that a young female was assaulted by someone possibly linked to the ARP. An appeal was made to ask the victim to come forward. No victim has come forward and no reports have been made to police. Therefore, the police have no evidence to suggest the alleged incident took place and they have stated the claim appears to be fake.
Transparency
The council took the opportunity to let residents know about plans to welcome 300 new people in early April. We held specific briefings for local stakeholders.
While most local authorities do not make information public before the arrival of people on the ARP, we wanted our residents to be informed with the facts.
The information we have shared reflects that this is a fast-moving project involving vulnerable people.
Consultation
This is a national resettlement scheme and while the council is pleased to play its part in supporting our new residents, it is not run or managed by the council. Therefore, locally, we could not consult residents on the scheme.