UK Home Secretary feud over Afghan refugee housing
December 25, 2021, 4:26 pm

UK Home Secretary feud over Afghan refugee housing

Priti Patel-British politician/Facebook page

The Arab News reported The Times has said, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel undermined attempts by Health Secretary Sajid Javid to force local authorities in Britain to house Afghan refugees.

The move by Patel to overrule Javid has meant that more than 12,000 Afghans who were evacuated to the UK in the wake of the Taliban takeover are still living in hotels around Britain. The two ministers also fought over moves to house Afghans in holiday resorts.

Only about 3,000 of the 15,000 Afghans evacuated to the UK have been provided with permanent homes.

The failure has been partly due to the UK government battling with council authorities over refugee allocation, with some councils refusing to house Afghans and others reporting full capacity.

The ministerial dispute occurred after the formation of a senior committee to oversee housing, education and healthcare for Afghan refugees.

Javid urged the mandatory imposition of refugee allocation on all councils in the country — a proposal that would supersede the current voluntary system.

One minister on the committee said: “Javid argued for mandating local authorities to take a certain number and pointed out that it wouldn’t be that many if we shared the burden in that way. But the Home Office didn’t take it forward.

“It was always going to be difficult because of the shortage of social housing. But the numbers aren’t great if you just divide them across local authorities.”

UK will welcome 20,000 Afghan refugees following Taliban takeover

UK to announce details of new resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees

Kim Kardashian helps young female Afghan soccer players and their families flee to UK

However, a Home Office source told The Times: “Instinctively, we don’t like forcing councils to do something, but we’re not opposed to it. But what needs to be done is a cross-government effort to persuade more councils to come forward. That’s why we’ll look at it if the situation doesn’t improve.”

Stretched housing capacity is one of the many issues behind the reluctance of some councils to accept Afghan refugees.

A government source said: “I was very struck that some of the urban councils which have the strongest record on refugees were very reluctant to take more because the asylum seekers issue meant they were at full capacity.”

As the refugee housing policy began to face significant problems, government officials considered using holiday resorts as a temporary alternative, but Javid blocked the move, citing concerns over the creation of ghettos.

A source said: “Using camps to house people was hugely unsatisfactory because there is no chance to integrate.

“Families would be surrounded by other people in the same situation as them so they’re not going to be able to integrate. It would become a ghettoed community.”

Source: arabnews

La Palma volcano ends its eruption after three months of destruction Libya: Future of Political Solution after Elections Delay

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”