MORE than £1.2m will be spent by Northumberland County Council to purchase and refurbish seven properties that will be used to house refugees fleeing conflicts.

The houses will be used to provide homes for Ukrainians seeking safety from Russia’s ongoing invasion and Afghans who supported Britain and its allies in the war against the Taliban.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s cabinet, it was made clear that the homes will only be available to those who had arrived in the country via legal routes.

The money will be provided by the Government under the Local Authority Housing Fund. This was launched in December 2022 to support local authorities in England to obtain accommodation for refugee families in housing need.

Speaking at the council’s Cabinet meeting, Coun Colin Horncastle said: “This is a good news story. If we go down this route it will bring an extra £600,000 of Government money in to provide property for people that we have a moral duty to provide for.

“It is mostly aimed at people like Afghans who have aided the allies and had to flee. In case people are concerned about the type of people it is aimed at, the objectives of this are to support recent humanitarian schemes such as the Afghan and Ukrainian schemes which offer sanctuary via safe and legal entry routes.

“These are people we know have a right to be in this country. It is a hot potato at the moment but this is for people who really need it – we have a moral duty to support these people.

“This will also reduce pressure on existing systems. It’s a win-win situation. This is bringing Government money in and adding to our housing stock.

“Seven homes will be provided mainly in the south east of the county for cultural reasons.”

Council leader Glen Sanderson added: “We must always remember the bravery of our troops and those Afghans who tried to help them find a peaceful way through a very serious and awful conflict. This is absolutely the right thing to do.”

The proposals were unanimously approved by the cabinet.