The county council announced that it was doubling the number of families it would house on Friday after previously saying it would offer homes to three families fleeing Afghanistan after helping the British forces as part of the Home Office Afghan Resettlement and Assistance Programme.
The county, which has been previously successful in helping to settle Syrian families feeling the war-torn region, has now agreed to provide safe homes for six Afghan families following “positive discussions” with housing association partners.
Cabinet member for housing Iain McIntosh said: “As the crisis continues to unfold in Afghanistan and, following on from the support and sanctuary our communities in Powys have offered refugees in the past, I am very pleased that we are now able to offer homes to six vulnerable Afghan families fleeing the country.
“I’d like to thank our housing association partners for helping to safely accommodate the extra families, who I am sure will be welcomed by Powys residents.”
Powys has a strong military heritage and a good record of helping vulnerable refugees fleeing some of the world’s most dangerous regions.
Among other counties across Wales and the UK, Powys is offering safe homes to Afghan families who are at risk because they helped UK forces to escape from the Taliban.
A Powys council spokesman said: “The cabinet believes this is the right thing to do and an action that residents would support.”
Local authorities across the UK have been asked to help resettle up to 3,000 people made up of those who were employed by the British forces and their families.
The Home Office will be responsible for sourcing initial temporary accommodation, and funding COVID quarantine arrangements which will be needed when they arrive in the UK.
Powys cabinet member for adult social care, Myfanwy Alexander said following the decision to accept more Afghan families: “We have all been touched by the plight of those whose support for our armed forces meant that they could not safely remain in Taliban controlled Afghanistan.
“We are proud to welcome some of these people to Powys where we can support them as they recover from this acute crisis in their lives.”
The announcement came a week after the Powys Liberal Democrats called on Powys County Council to support more Afghan families - however discussions were already under way.
On Friday, August 27, the Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds said she felt the UK should be doing more to house Afghan refugees as the country has committed to plans to take in 5,000 refugees this year and no more than 20,000 in the long-term.
Afghan individuals and families fleeing the country, which was seized by the Taliban last month, are coming to the UK under two schemes: The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Programme which is providing refuge for those who worked for or directly assisted the UK Government or Armed Forces; and, The Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme which will protect a small number of the must vulnerable Afghans such as women’s rights activities, academics, members of the LGBTQ+ community or those from minorities which face Taliban persecution such as Hazaras and Sikhs.
Ms Dodds, who is also the MS for Mid and West Wales, welcomed Powys’ initial promise to home three familes saying: “This will make a huge, life-saving difference, to desperate people, including young children, who would otherwise be facing terror and death.
“However, the UK could still be doing so much more. The numbers of refugees we are taking in are, frankly, paltry relative to our size and wealth, and compared with much smaller or poorer countries such as Albania, Kosovo, and Uganda – which is currently hosting 1.4 million refugees. Germany is already supporting 119, 000 Afghan refugees. From Afghanistan alone, Tajikistan has committed to taking in 100, 000 new refugees, and Iran currently hosts 780, 000, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
“We can and should be helping more than 5, 000 people this year.
“If Powys provided accommodation and support for just 15 families, and every Local Authority in Wales and the UK made the same commitment, then every family that is coming here can be resettled.
“I am proud of the hospitality the people of Ystradgynlais and other communities in Powys have shown to refugees and asylum seekers, and the way that many have flourished and given back with the opportunities and safe and peaceful life this has given them. This is our chance to show the World the very best of our county once again.”
The leader of the Powys Liberal Democrats, who is also the councillor for Glasbury, James Gibson-Watt said the UK must honour its commitments to “all those who have placed themselves in danger to serve our country or directly help our troops and diplomats”.
He said: “We also need to ensure that we are providing protection and sanctuary to minorities who now face particular and acute risk of murder at the hands of the Taliban regime, as well as IS-K (ISIS-affiliate) and other Islamist forces growing in strength within Afghanistan.
“In 2017, the UK Home Office authorised the return of gay Afghan asylum seekers, claiming that “it may be a safe and viable option for a gay man to relocate to Kabul.”
“Just last month, Taliban judge Gul Rahim said ‘there are only two penalties for gays: Either stoning or he has to stand behind a wall that falls on him.’.
“LGBT Afghans, women, Christians, Sikhs, Hazaras, and other minorities placed great trust in the future promised by the US, UK, and NATO allies. We owe them now.”
“On behalf of all my Liberal Democrat colleagues, I also want to express our condolences to those military personnel and civilians who have been murdered in the attacks at Kabul airport on Thursday, August 26. Their families and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers.
“Brecon is a proud military town and we are aware that some veterans living in our communities may find the latest news particularly distressing. Please do reach out for support if you feel you need it. There are people available to help.”