Councils across the West Midlands are expected to receive approximately £10,500 for every Ukrainian refugee they welcome.
Local authorities are expected to receive the sum for each refugee for the first year to support education, English language learning, safeguarding and social care, according to a Home affairs committee.
The government has not asked councils to assist with accommodation, because it intends to rely on the more than 120,000 people who have expressed an interest so far under the scheme.
Lord Harrington, the minister for refugees, told the committee: “We’re going to have to – we’re going to have to find school places and we’re going to have to find extra social workers.”
The safe and legal migration minister Kevin Foster told MPs at a home affairs committee up to 5,500 visas had been granted under the Ukraine family scheme, and 20,000 applications had been submitted.
Asked if councils would undergo due diligence to check accommodation under the scheme before Ukrainians were housed, Lord Harrington, the minister for refugees, told the committee: “It may not be possible.
“I’m expecting thousands of people to come, but it will be their responsibility and, particularly where there’s a possibility of vulnerability with children, this sort of thing, that would take priority. But if we started saying we’re going to preview it, it’s just not possible.”
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