WINCHESTER City Council will be taking over 16 houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) to provide more permanent accommodation for refugees.

The council has been granted £2.4m as part of a £500m government fund supporting local authorities in providing homes for Ukrainian and Afghan families.

Sixteen homes, which were predominantly used as student accommodation and were previously owned by the council, will house 16 Ukrainian families in Stanmore, Highcliffe, Winnall and Badger Farm.

The city council is expected to match fund more than £3m bringing the total scheme cost to more than £6m, with an additional £300,000 to provide a four-bed home for an Afghan family currently living in a hotel.

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The HMOs can be used for any families on the housing register as long as the council can prove that 16 Ukrainian refugee families are being housed as a result of the grant.

The proposal was heard at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, May 23 where it received support from both Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors.

Council leader, Cllr Martin Tod, said: “This proposal enables us to house Afghan and Ukrainian families in housing need. It allows us to do that with extra houses, above and beyond what we would have been able to do with the Housing Revenue Account.

“Importantly, it helps with our priority of rebuilding the community in our council estates by rebalancing the housing offer there and bringing former HMOs back into use as family houses which is a long-desired objective to support the community.”

Winchester Conservative group leader, Cllr Caroline Horrill, welcomed the scheme but said councillors need to be better briefed on how the council is dealing with Ukrainian refugees.

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She said: “We need to ensure that we have the appropriate communication in our communities when Ukrainian families are offered Winchester housing stock. Particularly, when it’s in a small community where people have a local connection - they’ve been waiting some time because properties are limited and they see a Ukrainian guest have access to a property in advance to themselves.

“It’s really crucial that as a council we have a really clear message as to what our strategy is, what are the rights and entitlements so we can be briefed accordingly and speak with one voice.”

City of Sanctuary champion, Cllr John Tippett-Cooper, praised the benefits of the scheme, for the Ukrainian community and the longer-term impact of increasing Winchester’s council housing stock.

Cllr Tippett-Cooper said: “It’s not the case that these families are getting an advance as the housing will still be managed fairly and this is additional funding specifically for Ukrainian families. Once and if these families move on, the houses will still be council properties so there’s a net benefit.

“The pressure is on. The relationships that exist under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are nearly a year old for the most part across the district.

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“Although our district hosts are doing unbelievable work supporting those families, some hosts have changing domestic circumstances and some Ukrainian guests are looking for more independent living opportunities.

“The new homes will reduce the pressure on homelessness resources and provide a key additional option for the council to find suitable homes for these families.”

Most of the houses are in Stanmore, with 14 of the 16 properties being ready for occupation by July and the other two houses being available in June next year.

All the properties are either semi-detached or terraced family-sized homes and all bar one property (in Badger Farm) are ex-council homes.

Following initial visits, the council expects to spend £20,000 on each property to prepare it for family use.

Currently, nearly 500 Ukrainian refugees are being homed across the Winchester District, including 29 families in private rented accommodation and another 29 families who have been re-matched with new host families as of March.