The Welsh government has made the decision to enact new regulations that will reduce payments for Ukrainian migrants. The move was made after the UK government issued a budgetary outlook warning.
According to state-run broadcaster BBC, those affected got a letter outlining the new policy on Thursday. According to BBC, as many as 1,500 people may be affected.
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Refugees who have been residing in hotels, vacation resorts, and other types of temporary housing for five weeks or longer must start supporting themselves and choose between accepting the government’s offer of more permanent housing or paying a fine of £25 ($31) per week (or £37 ($46) per week for families of four or more).
Despite the claim that the regulation is not intended to save money, it eliminates free laundry services, toiletries, sanitary goods, even pet food and veterinary expenses. According to the administration, the new policy will encourage refugees to arrange for their own clothes to be washed and to pay for at least one meal each day, which will aid in their “integration into the community.”
For the majority of Wales, the regulations are scheduled to go into force in January; however, the accommodation penalty are currently being tested by four councils (Wrexham, Monmouthshire, Conwy, and Blaenau Gwent). It is intended to solve issues that developed from the UK’s “super sponsor visa” programme, in which many families were not quickly transitioned into sponsored positions from their original landing sites, or “welcome centres,” which officials warn are frequently “expensive hotels.”
According to UN statistics, there are around 8 million displaced Ukrainians throughout Europe, 4.8 million of them are enrolled with various national protection programmes.
