Herefordshire is extending its support to the 700 refugees in the county from the conflict in Ukraine, with transport grants of up to £500 for all those aged five and above.
“Access to services is a pressing issue for both Ukrainian guests and their hosts, especially as many homes offered under the [Government-funded] Homes for Ukraine scheme have been in rural areas,” the council said.
Lack of public transport options in these areas “has meant that guests have needed to rely on others, particularly their hosts”, it explained.
The Ukrainian guests can spend the new grants on public transport, taxis, buying and running a vehicle or bike, or on getting a driving licence.
The Government pays local authorities £5,900 per person under Homes for Ukraine, down from £10,500 last year.
Herefordshire Council expects the maximum cost of the transport grants to be £330,000, equivalent to 600 guests taking it up plus 10 per cent for administration.
A trial free bus travel scheme in the Ross-on-Wye area is being discontinued “due to the lack of take-up and the logistics of rolling out such a scheme across the county, which would mean working with at least five bus operators”. But school travel for children is being kept free, the council said.
Meanwhile separate funding from the council to support groups helping integrate the Ukrainians, paid for out of the same Government funding pot, has been extended for another year.
The Support for Ukraine Community Integration Grant, which makes payments of up to £100,000 to community and voluntary groups, will now run to the end of January 2025.
“There are still more Ukrainians seeking to move to the UK, but this is limited by the number of hosts who are available,” the council said, adding though that the figure for the county is “very unlikely” to hit the 900 used for council spending projections last year.
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