Afghanistan: leaked document warns of refugee funding shortfall

The Treasury must "urgently" confirm extra funding before local authorities can start making offers to house Afghan refugees, a document seen by the BBC suggests.

Initial proposals suggest a shortfall between cash committed so far and estimates of the true cost.

The document estimates that resettling eligible Afghans over the next 10 years could cost more than £2.5bn.

The Treasury has been asked to comment.

The leaked document - Afghan Resettlement: Domestic Support Offer and Funding Requirements - was discussed by ministers on Wednesday.

It says just under £400m has been allocated so far, but an extra £557m could be needed over the next three years.

And ministers will meet on Friday to discuss an update on the offer and costs required to resettle refugees.

The Ministry for Housing, Community and Local Government said it was calling on councils to come forward to offer support to families building a new life in the UK.

The government intends to provide funding to local authorities to accommodate Afghans, and the document says relocation costs were a "substantial - but necessary - offer of support".

Schemes include the existing Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for Afghans who worked with the UK government and a new Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) for vulnerable people fleeing the country.

Funding models for the resettlement schemes are still being developed, but initial proposals suggested this is based on 5,000 Afghans arriving under the ACRS scheme per year (capped at 20,000) at a cost of £715m, 5,000 arriving under the UK Resettlement Scheme each year at a cost of £1.65bn, and 7,000 arriving under the ARAP scheme in 2021-2 at a cost of £190m.

The document suggests that while some refugees would require more support than others, local authorities should be given a set amount per person housed to make their funding easier to plan.

It recommends local authorities should be given £20,520 per person split over three years, plus more for education costs.

It also recommends extra healthcare funding of £3,200 per person and £15m funding per year to "international partners" to support resettlement in third countries.

These initial funding proposals suggest the costs would reach £187m in 2021/2 and £975m over the course of this spending review period - which lasts until 2024/5.

But it says with just under £400m of this funding already committed too, there was therefore a shortfall of approximately £557m, and confirmation of further funding from the Treasury will be required "urgently".