Refugees in Banbury set to benefit from cash pot of £1.6m set aside for social housing

Cherwell District Council approved the grant agreements at a meeting on Monday (January 8).

It is hoped the money will bring 11 long-term lets to the district, including one in Chesterton near Bicester.

The council has not stated where the other lets would be within the district.

Leader of the district council’s Conservative group Barry Wood, who chaired the meeting, said: “It’s what in the old days we used to call a win-win position.”

The money will not come out of the council’s budget, with Conservative councillor Adam Nell highlighting the expenditure was “all funded by grants”.

The Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote ward councillor continued: “We’re very grateful to the givers of those grants and we’re very happy to bring these properties back into use without spending any of our own money.”

Conservative councillor Nicholas Mawer, added: “Some of these houses have been empty for quite a while.”

Approval of the grant comes after the district council welcomed a further 10 families into the area under the Afghanistan Resettlement and Assistance Programme.

The homes are being introduced through money received from the central government resettlement scheme.

The grants for the social housing were secured with the Sanctuary Housing and South Oxfordshire Housing Association.Sanctuary Housing was set up nearly 50 years ago and provides housing and care in England and Scotland to more than a quarter of a million people.