Somerset Council has reaffirmed its commitment to prioritizing affordable homes for individuals with a local connection to the county. This announcement comes amid social media speculation suggesting that refugees or asylum seekers might be receiving preferential access to housing, a claim the council firmly denies.
Currently, over 12,000 people in Somerset are on the housing register, with some families temporarily accommodated in bed-and-breakfast facilities while awaiting more permanent homes. To address this pressing need, the council has partnered with developers to increase affordable housing stock, constructed new council homes in Taunton and Minehead, and recently allocated nearly £3.4 million toward temporary accommodations for Somerset families.
At a recent council executive committee meeting in Taunton, local resident Jan Windsor questioned the extent to which non-residents occupy affordable housing and whether formal agreements exist to allocate homes to individuals outside Somerset. Councillor Sarah Wakefield, responsible for adult services, housing, and homelessness, responded by explaining the council’s strict criteria for establishing a “local connection” to Somerset.
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Applicants must have lived in Somerset for at least two of the last five years, be permanently employed in the county for more than 16 hours a week, or have close family members residing in Somerset for at least five years, accompanied by ongoing contact and dependency. Exceptions are made in specific cases, such as individuals fleeing domestic violence or military veterans. Evidence must be provided in all applications.
Importantly, under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, refugees and asylum seekers do not receive automatic priority for council housing and do not “jump the queue.” Similarly, newcomers to Somerset from other parts of the UK are not accorded higher priority within the Homefinder Somerset system.
The council also participates in national schemes with police and probation services to provide housing referrals for individuals under witness protection or multi-agency public protection arrangements, though these cases represent a small fraction of housing allocations.
A further discussion on temporary accommodation and affordable housing will be held during the council’s adults and health scrutiny committee meeting in Bridgwater on October 9.