![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_escenic-89.jpg\")
Birmingham Council leader John Cotton\/Conservative group leader Robert Alden(Image: Jacob King\/PA Wire\/Alexander Brock)<\/p>\nThe Birmingham Conservative Group said the council ‘should focus on housing Brum residents’Birmingham Council leader John Cotton\/Conservative group leader Robert Alden(Image: Jacob King\/PA Wire\/Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n
Birmingham Council\u2019s leader has said there\u2019s a \u201cmoral duty\u201d to accept more Afghan refugees despite an opposition party saying the focus should be on housing city residents.<\/p>\n
Earlier today, June 24, during a meeting at the council<\/a> house, cabinet members agreed to accept another 120-plus Afghan refugees amid the \u201cperilous conditions\u201d under Taliban rule.<\/p>\n The Labour<\/a>-run local authority said it was willing to accommodate 124 people in total during 2025\/26 as part of the government\u2019s Afghan Relocation Programme (ARP).<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> It’s Refugee Week – these are just some of the people who call Birmingham home<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n According to a council report, 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.<\/p>\n But Councillor Robert Alden, leader of the council\u2019s Conservative<\/a> group, argued that welcoming more refugees could place a \u201cstrain\u201d on the city\u2019s housing situation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy to sit and do the things that make you feel warm inside and get you lots of praise,\u201d he told the cabinet meeting. \u201cBut there is a need to actually look a bit harder.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city has changed since 2021 [the year the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan] – the council is now bankrupt.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are tens of thousands of people on the council\u2019s waiting list for housing, there are thousands of families in temporary accommodation, people who are already here who cannot get housed properly.”<\/p>\n \u201cThis [Afghan refugee] report doesn\u2019t really reflect the fact that actually that will be placing a further strain on those issues in the city,\u201d Coun Alden added.<\/p>\n The Birmingham<\/a> Conservative Group later posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the council \u201cshould focus on housing Birmingham residents\u201d.<\/p>\n Responding to concerns over housing, a council officer said the tariff received from the government supports the local authority\u2019s ability to help individuals move into the private rented sector.<\/p>\n She added that the council works with the resettled families so they can build their skills, find meaningful employment, afford to pay their rent and manage their lives in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a considerable amount of work that happens around supporting both their tenancies and their future integration and housing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n ‘It isn’t about feeling warm and fuzzy’<\/strong><\/p>\n Coun John Cotton, leader of the council, then defended the council\u2019s plans to accept Afghan refugees during the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s very clear we have a moral duty to participate,\u201d he said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t about feeling warm and fuzzy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about playing our role as a global city and participating in a scheme that\u2019s in collaboration with government.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe welcomed people to this city for many generations,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The council said in the report that it had successfully supported the successful integration of 148 Afghan families in the past with \u201clittle impact\u201d on public services or finances.<\/p>\n It also said relatively low rates of hate crimes had been reported by resettled families in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cAs with previous and current resettlement, efforts are made to reduce the risk of community safety issues when accommodation is sourced,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cMost families enjoy good relationships with their neighbours.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are often stories of food being shared at Eid<\/a> and people having support from neighbours with urgent issues.\u201d<\/p>\n The council added it was unlikely that \u201csignificant additional risks\u201d to local tensions would arise but would be closely monitored.<\/p>\n![\"Conservative](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2025-06-24-at-144308jpeg.jpg\")
Conservative councillor Robert Alden speaks during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting on June 24(Image: Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1750267572_34_6_JS326812388.jpg\")
Birmingham Council leader John Cotton during the budget meeting in 2024(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Live)<\/p>\n