Host families question what has happened to Highland Council funds to support Ukrainian refugees
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Highland Council has been criticised by some families hosting Ukrainian refugees in the strath for a lack of funding support for their guests.
They include applications for additional heating costs incurred over winter and furniture being rejected.
Each Ukrainian was allocated £10,500 – known as the Ukrainian Displaced Persons – from central government but their hosts claim the council has been ‘reluctant to release some of it when we have made reasonable requests’.
The local authority has maintained it is strictly following Scottish Government guidelines.
Nethy Bridge resident Alastair Kendall and wife Ingrid hosted a Ukrainian family from June 15 last year for just over a year.
They have now moved to Castlemilk as the daughter Stacy has secured a place at Glasgow University after a successful year at Grantown Grammar School.
He has been so angered by the situation that he has put in his own Freedom of Information request to the local authority to try and ascertain where the funding has been spent.
Mr Kendall said: “We brought over three refugees from Zaporizhzhia and not one of them has had any direct help from, or contact with, Highland Council at all.
“Of course they are grateful for access to schooling and Stacy is enormously grateful to Glasgow University for recognising her undoubted linguistic talent by awarding her a place to study French, Russian and International Relations.
“It is young people like Stacy who will help rebuild her country and find a just peace in the future and the close links they have built with Scotland can only be a good thing.
“Highland Council informed me that they and Glasgow City Council were only able to help with a grant to buy second hand furniture if the lease was a social let – not a private let.
“It is a private let available due to the kindness of a Nethy lady who took pity on them. I cannot understand the moral legitimacy of seeking to differentiate an award based on who owns the property – social or private.
“What Kafkaesque nonsense this is – the council really should be ashamed.
“Their approach to the Ukrainian refugee system has been to build a Potemkin village to cover up their inadequacies and incompetencies.
“Sadly our experience is mirrored by other host families.”
Retired Nethy Bridge neurosurgeon David Sandeman accommodated a 25-year-old Ukrainian trainee surgeon for two months until she returned to the Ukraine last July after other family members were refused visas.
He said: “The best I can say about the council is that they were reactive and not proactive. We got no help at all from them to start with and initially it was very frustrating.”
She did receive benefits whilst she was in Nethy Bridge after having to go through ‘a huge number of hoops’, said Mr Sandeman who ‘eventually’ received the £350 monthly payment for being a host which is separate to the Ukrainian Displaced Persons payment.
“But what has happened to the money Highland Council was supposed to have received, I have no idea,” he said.
“When Sasha went back we left our name with the council and Scottish Government informing that we had accommodation that we were very happy to share when there was all the talk about people leaving the hotels locally but we heard nothing.
“I do not think there has been any sort of organisation to support the Ukrainians despite whatever the politicians say – it has been pretty sparse on the ground.”
Highland Council said it has received a total of £12.629m from various government grants to support their response to the Ukraine crisis up to the end of March.
A council spokesman said: “The council has to submit claim forms quarterly to the Scottish Government against incurred spend
“This figure includes the funding for Ukrainian Displaced Persons – the £10.5k allocation – but also includes funding to enable a range of other activities.”
These include:
• allocation of social housing and associated maintenance and tenancy costs.
• Costs of disclosure checks for hosts.
• Welcome payments to hosts ad guests.
• Provision of interpretation and support services.
• Support for the Ukrainian Displaced Persons accommodated in hotels in the Highlands by the Scottish Government.
The council spokesman said: “£993,000 has been claimed back by the council as identified spend up to March 31. The first quarter 2023-24 claim process is still in progress with the Scottish Government...
“Under the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine funding, there is funding available for a range of measures and this includes monthly thank-you payments for host families.
“As at March 31, the council had allocated £348,000 to hosts as part of the support arrangements.”
The council stressed that the funding is ring-fenced and can only be used to spend against Ukraine crisis activities and this has been in line with government guidance.
He added: “There is an ongoing discussion between Cosla and the Scottish Government as to agreeing the long-term funding position which may allow more potential for local authorities to increase their spend on Ukraine crisis activity safe in the knowledge that they will not incur costs which will require local authority funding.”
Local MP is seeking clarity on support for refugees in region
Local MP Drew Hendry (SNP) said: “Having met with many of the Ukrainians who have adopted our local communities as their new, if temporary, home following Putin’s invasion in 2022, I know that most have come to love the Highlands and feel truly welcomed by our communities.
“It is, of course, concerning to hear reports of funding which should be making its way to hosts accommodating Ukrainian refugees being lost along the way.
"Whilst it appears that this issue is contained to a few instances, it is important we get clarity on what’s happened in these circumstances.
“I will do what I can to help and work with local organisations and local councillors to ensure that our Ukrainian friends and their hosts get all the support they need.”
