Row over Reform UK plan to ‘withdraw’ Lancashire from refugee schemes

A political row has broken out after the Reform UK group that runs Lancashire County Council announced that it plans to “withdraw” the local authority from two government schemes that rehome refugees in the area.

The party says a proposal to end its involvement in the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) and the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) will be put before cabinet later this summer.

However, opposition groups branded the move a “stunt” and a “dog whistle” – claiming, variously, that it will not stop refugees from being housed in the county, but could cut off funding for those who have already arrived.

Reform says the county council will remain within the Homes for Ukraine initiative – designed to help those who fled to the UK after Russia’s invasion of their country – which it describes as having “a legal obligation” to provide. But it has pledged to pull out of what it calls “discretionary” schemes.

The UKRS is a safe and legal route to settlement in the UK for people who have been displaced from their homes anywhere around the globe. Candidates for the programme are identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and then assessed by the British government.

Meanwhile, the ARP is a consolidation of schemes for Afghan citizens who worked with UK forces during the conflict in their homeland – and are deemed vulnerable as a result.

Lancashire County Council co-ordinates both the UKRS and ARP on behalf of the 14 district and unitary local authorities in Lancashire which have housing responsibilities.

Although the schemes attract government funding, Reform UK claims the cost of some elements of support nevertheless comes out of “council resources” – and that the programmes put “significant pressure on the local housing market” at a time when “many Lancashire residents are struggling to access housing”.

County council cabinet member for rural affairs, environment and communities Joshua Roberts said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the proposed withdrawal was “about fairness”.

“Reform UK was elected last May to make sure that the people who live, work and contribute to Lancashire are put at the front of the queue and are not disadvantaged.

“We are calling on the Labour government to stop placing refugees in Lancashire and instead redirect public funds to better support our vulnerable residents and veterans. These people have been deprioritised by successive Labour and Conservative governments for far too long,” County Cllr Roberts said.

However, the practicalities of the suggested policy shift were condemned by opposition leaders as unworkable - and the principle upon which it is based blasted as unpleasant. The move was also derided as electioneering ahead of local polls taking place in seven Lancashire districts this Thursday. The county council itself is not staging elections.

Azhar Ali, who heads County Hall’s official opposition group, Progressive Lancashire – an alliance of independents and the Green Party – told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the refugee programmes had been mischaracterised by Reform.

“These are central government schemes, which Lancashire County Council is paid to administer. If they decide that they no longer want to be paid for that work, the government will find other [authorities] that do – it won’t stop the schemes.

“This is dog-whistle politics…and just another desperate party political stunt by Reform.

“Also, the Afghan scheme is for people who did jobs like translators, supporting our British troops and keeping them safe. But Reform are willing to throw them under the bus – it’s not right,” County Cllr Ali added.

Meanwhile, Conservative group leader Aidy Riggott said: “I await the cabinet paper with interest and do hope that this isn’t another bungled, ill-thought-through announcement from Reform just days before local elections in Lancashire.

“I would have hoped that after 12 months of being in power at Lancashire County Council, Reform and its leadership would have stepped away from allowing central pressure to dictate local policy on issues where the county council has little legislative room for manoeuvre – and instead put their energies into fixing the roads, which their own cabinet member described as being “in a terrible state”, as well as unlocking both Lancashire Central [a major economic growth project in South Ribble] and the devolution agenda, which have stalled under their watch.”

Green Party group leader Gina Dowding – who is also the deputy leader of Progressive Lancashire – said Reform’s plans did not reflect the county’s “values”.

She added: “This is Reform UK trying to pull a political stunt, for publicity, the week of local elections – but which will actually stop government funding coming into Lancashire to support refugees who are already here. It’s bad for everyone.

“For example, in Lancaster, the government’s ‘Afghan housing scheme’ has enabled the city council to purchase four homes for social rent on the condition that just one of them is available to resettle an Afghan family; that family is currently living in a hotel elsewhere in Lancashire.

“So three new homes are available for temporary housing to ease the pressure for others with urgent housing need.

“It is appalling to see Reform county councillors in Lancashire being led by their masters from HQ in buying into these racist announcements. They talk a lot about support for veterans, yet they ignore that Afghani refugees fought alongside the British against the evils of the Taliban.”

The Labour, Liberal Democrat and Our West Lancashire groups at County Hall were also approached for comment.

The LDRS asked a series of questions of Reform UK and the county council itself regarding the refugee announcement – specifically seeking details of the annual net cost to the authority of its involvement in the schemes, after any government funding; the extent to which the county council has the power to withdraw from the programmes, given that they are government-led; and the number of refugees who have been supported under the initiatives in Lancashire.

The authority referred all enquiries to the Home Office – which had already been approached for comment, but had not responded by the time of publication. Reform UK also failed to respond.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council later said: "We are aware of a statement issued by the Reform party regarding the government's refugee resettlement scheme in Lancashire. Any changes to policy would require a decision by the cabinet."

According to the Refugee Council charity, individuals resettled under the UKRS are granted refugee status in the country for five years.