Welcome hubs are being set up at airports, ports and train stations across England to welcome Ukrainian refugees, the government has announced, as pressure mounts on ministers to dramatically overhaul the system by which they can apply for sanctuary in the UK.
Nearly £2m is to be spent on 31 hubs across 27 local authorities, the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities said. Hubs are already up and running at airports including at Luton, Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester, and at St Pancras International train station in London.
The centres will provide food, clothing and sanitary products to arrivals, act as a space for matched families to meet one another and help Ukrainians travel onward to their accommodation. Emergency £200 cash grants will also be available for those who need them.
The move comes as refugee campaigners voice despair at slow progress, red tape and disparity between the UK and EU’s approach to the crisis.
Official figures show that as of Wednesday, more than two weeks after the launch of the government’s much-vaunted Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme, only 2,700 visas had been granted under it.
The UK has granted 25,500 visas to Ukrainian refugees since the beginning of March, 22,800 of which have been issued to people hoping to join relatives in the UK under the Ukraine Family scheme.
More than 4 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded in February, the vast majority settling in Poland, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. About 6.5 million people have been displaced within Ukraine.
Leading charities have called on the government to waive visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees as a short-term measure to bring the UK in line with the EU. The Refugee Council, the British Red Cross, Save the Children and Oxfam said the visa system was “causing great distress to already traumatised Ukrainians”.
The government is giving councils £10,500 a person under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to cover arrival costs, safeguarding inspections and access to public services. Up to £8,755 in additional funding is available per child for education.
The refugees minister, Richard Harrington, said: “The response of the British public has been incredible, opening their hearts and homes to the people of Ukraine.
“Welcome hubs at airports and train stations right across the country stand ready to aid Ukrainians and their families as soon as they arrive in the UK.
“Together with the British public, we are doing everything in our power to ensure Ukrainians arrive safely and are supported to rebuild their lives here.”
