Hampshire County Council to increase monthly payments to people hosting Ukrainian families

Residents that are hosting Ukrainian families in Hampshire are set to receive an additional £200 on top of their monthly payments as part of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

The extra money will be added from next month and will help support residents in the area who are looking after Ukrainian families amid the cost of living crisis, which has seen a hike in bills, and Hampshire County Council want to aid residents that have given up their home.

County council leader, Councillor Rob Humby, said: ‘We have seen a hugely positive response from local residents to the plight of the Ukrainian people, with our county welcoming more than 1,100 families as part of the national settlement scheme.

‘Government has set host payments at £350 per accommodation, but we want to go higher than this to reflect both the important contribution Hampshire hosts are making to this significant humanitarian effort, as well as the current challenges many may be facing, in terms of cost of living pressures – we feel this is the fair and right thing to do, particularly over the winter months.’

The new payments will be funded via the grant paid to upper-tier local authorities to support the Homes for Ukraine scheme locally.

Councillor Humby added: ‘County council teams continue to work extremely hard, alongside Hampshire’s district and borough partner authorities, to ensure those who have arrived, and continue to arrive, receive the support they need.’