Private developers should be asked to provide suitable homes for refugees in the UK, councillors have said.

Cheshire East Council has received recognition from the Home Office for how it has run the Afghan resettlement programme and the 'gold standard' offering provided at the bridging hotel.

Five families have been permanently housed in the borough and more than 300 people have been helped while in temporary accommodation so far.

But the Home Office says larger properties need to be found to help re-settle some families.

Cllr Nick Mannion (Macclesfield West & Ivy, Lab) told the Thursday March 3 meeting of the corporate policy committee: "Unfortunately the only supply of them in Cheshire East in the last decade and at the moment is from the private sector because that's what they like to build, four and five bed executive detached homes.

"Wouldn't it be great if the private sector stepped up to the mark and made available a small number of their properties in Cheshire East for this purpose?"

He suggested a few properties could possibly be leased.

Conservative group leader Janet Clowes later proposed the council contact the national body responsible for house builders to ask for feedback on levels of support for refugees across the country and this was accepted by the committee.

Earlier in the meeting, councillors were told about the five families who had been housed permanently in the borough.

Dan Coyne, the council's community development manager, said: "All of the 14 children are well integrated in their schools, they are enjoying school life, all the parents are actively seeking employment."

He said one of the parents does already have a job.

The committee was told wraparound support for those in temporary accommodation, including healthcare, policing and security, education and safeguarding had been provided by council staff and other agencies working with refugees at the bridging hotel.

The council has been asked by the Home Office to extend the support provision until June 30 2022.

"This may be extended because the Home Office and partners have described the offering in this hotel as the gold standard," said Mr Coyne, adding the hotel may be the last one of the 80 across the country to stand down as the Home Office starts to shut them nationally.

One of the Afghan families originally staying in the Cheshire East hotel, who now has permanent accommodation, wrote to the council to thank staff for their 'outstanding help and support'.

He thanked the 'hard working and committed officers tirelessly serving the relocated Afghans and making sure that we are taken good care of in order to settle with ease in the UK'.

See Also: Macclesfield: Silk Waters Green house builders donate £50k to Ukraine.

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