HOST families will be paid an extra £200 per month to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their homes.

Hampshire County Council has announced the extra boost for residents hosting Ukrainian guests over the next five months.

The extra cash will be given out from October. It comes from a grant paid to upper-tier local authorities to support the Homes for Ukraine scheme locally.

Hampshire is the third county welcoming the highest number of Ukrainian nationals, the county council says.

Council leader, Cllr Rob Humby said: “We have seen a hugely positive response from 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 announcement comes after a Ukrainian support group in Southampton called for more support for Ukrainian nationals coming to the city.

READ MORE: Ukrainian refugees in Southampton are at risk of being homeless 

Cllr 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.

“This includes welfare, wellbeing and accommodation checks, the provision of more than 600 school places, free three-month bus passes for arriving guests, as well as advice and assistance to help families connect into local communities and settle into UK life.

“Collectively over the coming weeks, we will continue our close collaboration to explore further opportunities to support both guests and sponsors involved in the scheme.”

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