Councils have helped more than 160,000 Ukrainian nationals to settle in the UK since Russia invaded just over a year ago.
The first anniversary of the war, on 24 February, was marked by councils around the country observing a national one-minute silence, holding candle-lit vigils and memorial services, flying Ukraine’s flag and lighting up civic buildings in its blue and yellow colours.
The LGA highlighted the hard work of councils and the generosity of individual local ‘hosts’ in supporting and housing more than 115,000 new arrivals under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
But it has warned of rising numbers of people presenting as homeless because of sponsorships coming to an end.
Cllr James Jamieson, LGA Chairman, said: “Now is a good time to look back on the amazing work of councils in helping those fleeing conflict to settle in their new communities.
“Councils, often behind the scenes, have been working to ensure access to healthcare, language support, education, housing when sponsorships break down, and so much more.
“Although there are countless success stories, we are incredibly concerned at the number of people presenting as homeless because of a sponsorship ending.
“We are pleased that the Government has been working with the LGA and councils on funding to help reduce homelessness risks, but we are also concerned that there is no funding beyond the first year for councils and that funding for arrivals in 2023 has halved.
“If numbers increase, we want to work with government to review funding to ensure all families are helped to find permanent homes, jobs and schools.”
