The Resettlement service continues to adapt to meet the requirements from central government for all local authorities to play an active role in resettlement and wider migration.
Funding for Ukrainian refugees
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Government has funded the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Cornwall Council has received all the money needed to run the scheme directly from central government, not from local council funds.
This funding allows the Resettlement Service to support people for up to three years. The first 18 months focus on helping them settle into their new communities.
Up until July 2025, we've supported 1100 Ukrainians in over 400 individual hosting arrangements across the county.
This equates to:
thank you payments to local hosts of £3,972,750 to date, with an extra £1,189,397.00 provided as top up payments to local hosts from the tariff funding
Schools and Education payments of £1,965,788 for resources to the school community
£20,000 to build capacity at Newquay airport.
Up until July 2025, Cornwall Council received £11,207,457 in tariff funding to meet the needs of Ukrainians arriving in Cornwall. We've used this funding to support services for refugees and to provide top up thank you payments to local hosts. We've also awarded wider community grants and local activities to support community cohesion.
The funding has also enabled the Council to build a sustainable service able to meet the needs of our diverse communities until 2030. The service we provide includes:
home visits for hosts in need by a skilled case worker team
safeguarding checks and due diligence
administration of payments
rematching of refugees to new hosts and into private sector housing
commissioned support for all parties
This auditable use of funds builds capacity into other teams across the Council and its partners. It creates better services for all by meeting the needs of a vulnerable client group. It also secures new homes through the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).
The number of properties secured so far in Cornwall through the LAHF government scheme is:
LAHF 1 - Twenty-six properties for use under Homes for Ukraine and seven for Afghan resettlement
LAHF 2 - Twelve properties for the general needs’ population due to supporting Afghan resettlement and eight for Afghan resettlement
LAHF 3 - Twenty-three properties for temporary needs accommodation have been purchased due to supporting 11 Afghan resettlement properties.
When properties purchased by resettlement are no longer required by the service, we can move them into general need for local people.
The expenditure of LAHF properties is commercially sensitive.
The Afghan Resettlement Programme
On 1 July 2025, the UK Government announced The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) has closed to new applicants.
Find out more about this change
Funding for Afghan refugees (2024-2025)
The resettlement of Afghan families began in Cornwall at the start of 2024.
Cornwall Council has received all the money needed to run the scheme directly from central government, not from local council funds.
This funding allows the Resettlement Service to support people for up to three years. The first 18 months focus on helping them settle into their new communities.
Families arrived through two recognised routes:
1) The Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy (ARAP) for families that have a connection to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). This could be people who are:
interpreters
translators
security
police and judiciary staff
drivers
embassy staff
in regular local trades who have been assessed by the MOD as at risk under Taliban rule.
Families are initially housed within MOD service accommodation and then matched to Local Authorities. The Council receives funding to provide caseworker services and wraparound support from point of arrival for up to three years. The support is tailored based on needs. Some families will be independent within a few months and others will need full support for the first 18 months. Regular reviews are undertaken to assess progress towards full time employment and integration within the local community.
2) The Afghan Citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS) for those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as:
democracy
women’s rights
freedom of speech
rule of law
The Council has used five LAHF properties for these families under the government funding provided.
All compliant resettlement properties within the LAHF program are currently occupied.
The Council received £1,877,682.04 from central government in 2024/25 to meet Afghan families’ support needs.
Central government funding for 2025 to 2026
Cornwall Council will receive a single annual payment from central government to support provision during the 2025 to 2026 financial year.
The main payment will be based on the number of occupied bed spaces on 30 March 2025.
Funding will be paid at a rate of £1,200 for each occupied bed space recorded on that date.
If the number of occupied bed spaces increases after 30 March 2025, Cornwall Council will receive additional funding.
This will be paid at £100 per month for each additional occupied bed space.
Additional payments apply where occupancy increases between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, compared with the position on 30 March 2025.
Additional funding will only be paid for bed spaces above the number occupied on 30 March 2025.