Birmingham City Council has said it is willing to accommodate 124 individuals over 2025/26
Birmingham City Council House in Victoria Square(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Birmingham is set to accept another 120-plus Afghan refugees amid the “perilous conditions” under Taliban rule.
The council said it was willing to accommodate 124 people during 2025/26 as part of the government’s Afghan Relocation Programme (ARP).
The programme aims to ensure all eligible Afghan nationals are safely resettled in the UK, with a focus on “long-term sustainability in accommodation and integration”.
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According to the council, eligible individuals face particular hardship as they either furthered British interest in Afghanistan in their professional roles or have a documented record of standing up for European values.
Birmingham has a history of welcoming Afghan refugees and has already successfully supported the successful integration of 148 families.
The council said it had been done with “little impact” on public services or finances.
It said relatively low rates of hate crimes had been reported by resettled families in the city.
“As with previous and current resettlement, efforts are made to reduce the risk of community safety issues when accommodation is sourced,” a council report said.
A view of Birmingham’s skyline(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
“Most families enjoy good relationships with their neighbours.
“There are often stories of food being shared at Eid and people having support from neighbours with urgent issues.”
The council said it was unlikely that “significant additional risks” to local tensions would arise but would be closely monitored.
On how families had been previously integrated, the authority said funding from previous schemes was used to support city-wide refugee resettlement and integration programmes beyond Afghan families.
This enabled new arrivals to acquire the knowledge and skill to be ‘economically active’ citizens and live in ‘supportive cohesive communities’.
“Funding received under ARP will also be utilised in the same way to support the integration of these families,” the council said.
‘Schools are welcoming’
When it came to education, the council said Birmingham had a strong Schools of Sanctuary network.
This sees schools run projects to better understand refugee experiences.
“Feedback from resettled families […] indicates most schools are welcoming and are keen to do everything they can to welcome resettled children,” the council said.
An educational grant is also awarded to schools that register refugee children and young people from the Afghan relocation programme.
This tariff can be spent however the schools see fit to aid the arrival and integration of refugee pupils.
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Ahead of a meeting on Tuesday, June 24, the council’s cabinet was recommended to approve the acceptance of the ARP funding over the course of the next three years to support the 124 refugees during 2025/2026.
There was another a recommendation to approve continuation of the programme beyond the end of 2026.
Cabinet members were also recommended to approve the continued use of private sector housing and Local Authority Housing Fund properties to meet the housing needs of families arriving under the ARP.
The council said this would help manage the risks associated with additional pressures on housing/homelessness services.