Derbyshire County Council offers enhanced payments for hosts of Ukrainian refugees

Both Derbyshire County Council Leader Barry Lewis and Cllr Natalie Hoy paid tribute to the council’s team, those who have been delivering help, and to the host families and residents who have supported the county’s Ukrainian guests during a Cabinet meeting on July 10 where the enhanced payments were approved.

Cllr Lewis told the meeting: “I pay tribute to those across Derbyshire and the families and to the kindness that residents have shown to refugees in Derbyshire.

“Given the attacks that have happened in Kyiv it is an ongoing war and it’s an awful situation that the Ukrainians are facing.”

Following the Cabinet’s approval of the latest plans to further support Ukrainian refugees, Derbyshire hosts providing accommodation under the national Homes for Ukraine scheme will now be offered £700 a month all-year round.

The Cabinet formally approved the allocation of £3.715m of the Government Homes for Ukraine core funding for the provision of ‘thankyou’ payments to host households, and to the extension of the free bus pass scheme to Ukrainian Guests until the end of March 2025, at an estimated cost of £67,000.

Many Ukrainians have fled the conflict in their country after Russia invaded Ukraine following a perceived potential eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and as Russia argued a need to reclaim stronger influence around its western borders.

Derbyshire’s new agreed enhanced payments to hosts will be covered by Government funding to pay for the Homes for Ukraine scheme and means the same monthly rate is paid throughout the year instead of the previous arrangement of a £500 monthly payment which was increased to £700 with a winter top-up payment between October, 2023, and March, 2024.

In addition, a free bus pass scheme, provided by the council in line with Nottinghamshire County Council with a number of shared bus service providers, will also now be extended until the end of March 2025.

The overall scheme has helped Ukrainian refugees access training, work, and build links with guests across Derbyshire and it is expected to continue to improve the re-housing and employment prospects of Ukrainian guests and reduce the risk of isolation issues in rural areas.

Cllr Carol Hart, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, said: “We greatly value the role Derbyshire hosts are playing in providing safe refuge for more than 750 people who came to our county to escape the war in Ukraine.

“Previous enhancements to ‘thank-you’ payments for hosts in Derbyshire has proved highly effective in reducing homelessness, providing stability, and maintaining hosting arrangements. As a result, the number of hosts has remained relatively static over the last 12 months.

“If the proposal goes ahead to enhance host payments further, it would help maintain existing placements, attract new host households and help bring payments closer into line with rental costs in the county.

“With private rental properties in short supply and high demand, it is hoped an increase in the payments for hosts would encourage more landlords to join the scheme and allow guests to take their first steps towards independent living.”

Cllr Hoy, who spoke on behalf of Cllr Hart who was absent at the Cabinet meeting, said that Derbyshire has the highest Ukrainian host-guest population in the region and one of the highest per head in the UK.

She also confirmed some of Derbyshire’s Homes for Ukraine scheme’s figures which reveal that there are around 290 host households across the county, and that so far around 1,500 refugees have been helped by the Homes for Ukraine scheme in Derbyshire with around 15-20 new guests arriving each month in five to 10 new households.

The council stated that while some refugees have returned to Ukraine, or moved out of Derbyshire, a growing number of guests have become employed and are looking to move into independent accommodation so private landlords with available accommodation to rent are also being sought and asked to get in touch with the local authority.

Cllr Hoy confirmed that Ukrainian refugee guests will be able to reside in the UK until September, 2028, under the current scheme unless further changes are made.

Those interested in hosting or wishing to offer support as private landlords with available accommodation to rent, can contact [email protected] by email.

The Government’s Homes for Ukraine ‘Sponsor Guidance’ can be found online at www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-sponsor-guidance and local information is also available on the county council’s website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/UkraineHosts with details.

Those wishing to find out more about the Government scheme can also visit www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions online for details.

Anyone who would like to offer support other than accommodation can also contact [email protected] by email.