In Britain, most of the budget allocated for helping Ukrainian refugees went to government bodies – Guardian

In Britain, most of the budget allocated for assisting Ukrainian refugees has been spent on paying the salaries of local government staff and financing partner organizations.

This was reported by The Guardian.

According to the publication, a third (£327 million) of the total £1 billion budget allocated to British municipalities for refugee support has not been spent at all and still remains in accounts.

Freedom of information requests sent to 150 councils in England revealed that the funds have gone unused even more than three years after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Most of the expenditures by councils were directed toward paying their own staff and funding partner organizations.

At the same time, only £22 million was allocated for temporary housing for Ukrainians, and another £15 million for assistance with private rental housing. This comes despite the fact that many Ukrainians still face difficulties finding accommodation in the UK.

The main obstacle is the requirement to pay a deposit — something councils could help with using the refugee support budget. In practice, however, the process often proves slow and bogged down in bureaucracy.

Earlier, we reported that the suspension of extensions for humanitarian protection in the United States is forcing Ukrainian refugees there to leave the country.