Portsmouth City Council

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Special Lettings Plan: Ukraine and Afghan resettlement schemes

In December 2022, the government announced a new £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund. This fund helps councils in England buy and improve homes for people who have come to the UK through special resettlement schemes.

These include:

  • Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)
  • Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) – for people who helped British forces
  • Ukraine Family Scheme, Homes for Ukraine, and the Ukraine Extension Scheme – for people fleeing the war in Ukraine

What the fund can be used for

The money from this fund can only be used for housing, following the rules in the Local Government Act 2003.

Councils can use the money to:

  • buy homes
  • refurbish (improve) homes
  • provide long-term housing for people in these schemes

Special lettings policy

Under the Housing Act 1996, Portsmouth City Council can create a special lettings policy. This means we can offer certain homes to specific groups of people to meet housing needs.

Our Allocation Scheme (Section 16) explains when and how we can do this. Special lettings may be used for:

  • New housing developments
  • Large groups of homes being let in one area (e.g. after major repairs)

These lettings follow the main rules of our housing policy but may include small changes to help build a balanced and supportive community.

We will always publish details of any special lettings before the homes are offered. These rules only apply to the first time the home is let. If the home becomes empty later, it will be let through the normal housing register.

Homes included in this special lettings plan

Portsmouth City Council is using this policy for 10 homes bought through the Local Authority Housing Fund:

Element Property type PCC commitment
Main element 2- & 3-bedroom properties 7
Bridging element 4 + bedroom properties 3
  • 7 homes will be offered to people under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)
  • 3 homes will be offered to families from the Homes for Ukraine scheme, nominated by the Home Office

Why we’re doing this

The aims of this special lettings plan are to:

  • provide safe, long-term homes for people who have come to the UK through Afghan and Ukraine resettlement schemes
  • support areas that have welcomed many refugees, so they are not under extra pressure
  • help reduce homelessness by offering more affordable homes
  • make sure these homes can be used for other local people in the future
  • reduce the use of hotels and give families a stable place to live, with access to schools, jobs, and local services