SOMERSET has welcomed thousands of refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine through two recent resettlement projects, figures from the Home Office show.

For the first time, the Home Office has released figures on where Afghan refugees are staying in the UK.

The Government launched two schemes to relocate Afghan citizens in 2021 and 2022, in response to the Taliban retaking control of the country.

In addition, the figures show the number of Ukrainians living in your area through the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, which facilitates UK citizens to sponsor and temporarily house refugees fleeing the conflict with Russia.

All figures are updated to March 31, 2023.

Afghan Resettlement Programme

Here is how many refugees were welcomed in the former Somerset districts.

Somerset West and Taunton: 0
Sedgemoor: 16
South Somerset: 13
North Somerset: 48
Mendip: 5

‘Homes from Ukraine’ scheme

The figures below show how many refugees were welcomed in each district:

Somerset West and Taunton: 460
Sedgemoor: 249
South Somerset: 338
North Somerset: 537
Mendip: 365

A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: “It is important to note that the District Councils are no longer operating, we are a unitary authority known as Somerset Council.

“We can confirm that the numbers shared in the attachment (presumably from the Home Office) are recognised by Somerset Council.

“We are not able to comment on the North Somerset data as this is not in our area.

“The numbers relating to Ukrainian, Afghan, and Asylum arrivals correlate with our data.

“It is worth pointing out however, that the numbers do fluctuate day to day. Over 260 Ukrainians have moved out of Somerset or the UK to date.

“Somerset Council along with statutory and voluntary partners welcome refugees and asylum seekers into the county.

“District councils previously supported this work in identifying and furnishing properties for refugee families to live in and/or carrying out initial inspections on asylum dispersal properties.

“This was in collaboration with the Somerset County Council's resettlement team.

“Somerset Council now provides wrap-around support to refugees moving into the county and works with partners to offer support to asylum seekers."

Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, lead member for communities, housing, and culture, said: “Over the last year, hundreds of Somerset households have opened their homes to refugees and I think we’d all like to thank them for that simple act of humanity.

“I also know that some people haven’t been able to continue to house refugees beyond their initial six-month commitment, but I hope if anyone has considered supporting a family and wasn’t able to do it last year for whatever reason, they give some thought to providing accommodation now.

"As Refugee Week approaches, we will use this month to tell the story of how Somerset residents have supported refugees and how those refugees have, in turn, enriched our communities.”