The Leader of Mid Devon District Council has written to the Government asking it to reconsider cuts to the support given to residents who host Ukrainian refugees.

From 1 January 2027 the monthly thank you payment to Homes for Ukraine hosts will fall from £350 to £100. The funding councils receive to support each new arrival will also fall, from £5,900 to £3,300.

In his letter to Florence Eshalomi MP, the Minister for Homelessness, Cllr David Wulff asks the Government to pause the changes at least until the end of the winter, and to protect the payment for households who are already hosting.
Since the scheme opened in 2022, Mid Devon residents have welcomed 362 Ukrainians in 213 households. Today 45 people in 31 households are still being hosted in the district.

Cllr Wulff, Leader of the Council, said:
“The people of Mid Devon opened their homes when they were asked to, and I want to thank every one of them. In a rural district like ours, hosting already costs many households more than the payment they receive. Cutting it by more than two thirds in the middle of winter, as energy bills rise again, is the wrong step at the wrong time.
“Whatever the Government decides, this Council will do what it can to support our hosts and their guests. If you are hosting, or you are a guest, and you need help of any kind, please get in touch with us. You do not have to wait until things become difficult.”

Cllr Natalia Letch, representing Upper Yeo & Taw, said:
“The families living among us did not choose to leave Ukraine. They fled with what they could carry, and many have no home left to go back to. Their towns are still being bombed, and this winter the attacks on power and heating have left people there in the cold and the dark. They came here for safety, and they need to know that safety will not be taken away. We have a duty to stand up for them, and that is what we are doing.”

How the Council supports hosts and guests
• Welfare checks and housing advice for every guest who arrives in the district.
• Grants towards rent in advance and deposits, to help guests move into a settled home of their own.
• Help to find alternative accommodation if a hosting arrangement comes to an end.
• Protection of council tax discounts, so that hosts do not lose a single person discount because a guest has moved in.
• Regular contact with hosts, and early notice of any change to the scheme.

Get in touch
If you are a host or a guest and need advice or support, contact the Council on 01884 255 255 or at customerservices@middevon.gov.uk.
You can read the Leader’s letter in full here.