Question
With the dropping of the thank you payment from £350 to £100 on 1 January, many hosts find that their costs are no longer being covered and are considering evicting their guests. Hosts and guests are being encouraged to move to a lodger scheme using the “rent a room” scheme. I am told that the going rate for a room in my constituency is around £600, and universal credit would pay a lot more than the £350 saved from the thank you payment. In addition, Ukrainian guests would lose the help available from the local authority to move on to a first private rental. All in all, this reduction in the thank you payment looks likely to cost the state more than it might save and to reduce the help on offer to our Ukrainian guests. Will the Minister meet me and local Ukrainian hosts, or would she prefer to think again about the reduction?
Answer
The Government remain committed to supporting Ukrainians in the long term. The funding changes are designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the scheme. Councils can retain flexibility for funding and re-matching and for looking at homelessness prevention, including by helping guests to find accommodation and overcome any barriers to private renting. Existing host arrangements can move to lodging or rental agreements, and we will continue to monitor any issues around homelessness and will work with councils to respond as pressures emerge.20% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (38/100)
The reply only partly answers the exchange. The question about whether the Minister will meet the MP and local Ukrainian hosts is not addressed at all; the reply instead mentions working with councils, which is a different engagement. On the funding reduction, the reply gives a clear reason, that the changes are meant to ensure the scheme's long-term sustainability, but it does not directly say whether the reduction will be reconsidered. A member of the public would have a stated rationale on funding but no answer on the meeting, so they would likely need to ask again for both.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Minister meet the MP and local Ukrainian hosts to discuss the reduction in the Homes for Ukraine thank you payment from £350 to £100. | Not Addressed | Generic | The item asks whether the Minister will meet the MP and local Ukrainian hosts, but no statement mentions a meeting with either; statement 5's commitment to work with councils is a different engagement and does not answer the question. |
| Will the Minister reconsider the reduction in the Homes for Ukraine thank you payment from £350 to £100. | Addressed | Direct | The reply effectively declines to reconsider the reduction by stating the funding changes are designed to ensure the scheme's long-term sustainability, which gives a stated reason; it is not a bare refusal, though it never says 'no' outright. |