DD2618 Ukraine Support

1.1 This decision seeks approval to receive £70,000 income from DLUHC and expenditure of the same as part of the London Strategic Migration Partnership (LSMP) to support the delivery of the Homes for Ukraine programme and to respond to related refugee pressures in London. This decision further seeks approval to receive £57,000 income from the Home Office and expenditure of the same as part of the LSMP to deliver on the wider work of the Partnership, including support for the London Regional Asylum Plan. The GLA has a longstanding strategic coordination role in refugee and asylum issues in the capital through the work of the LSMP (approved under MD2798 and DD2576). This new funding from DLUHC has been designed to support the delivery of the Homes for Ukraine programme in London and to respond flexibly to manage demands from other refugee cohorts, and the additional funding from the Home Office to enhance the work already underway in London to design and implement the London Asylum Plan.

1.2 Following the invasion of Ukraine millions of people were displaced from their homes; the UK Government announced a number of schemes to allow Ukrainians to arrive or extend their stay in the UK. The Homes for Ukraine scheme allows for the sponsorship of individuals or households and since its launch has seen the arrival of over 100,000 people from Ukraine, the vast majority living in hosts’ homes. The initial commitment for hosts was to a minimum of six-months accommodation, meaning that many new arrivals now need to find a new host or prepare to live independently.

1.3 Local authorities play a key role in administering the Homes of Ukraine scheme, ensuring that high standards of safeguarding are met, administering ‘thank you’ payments to hosts, rematching households, and facilitating the welcome and integration of Ukrainians at a local level. To facilitate this work, the LSMP has a key role to play in sharing best practice, escalating risks or issues, and planning for the future.

1.4 London also faces continued pressure as a result of the numbers of people accommodated in hotels, including Afghan evacuees and people seeking asylum. Targeted interventions are needed in order to meet the needs of people in hotels, and to oversee the transition into more settled accommodation.

2.1 To support the delivery of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in London and to manage related refugee pressures, this funding will be used to contribute towards the capacity of the Migration Team to:

i. provide a convening function across London so that local authorities can share best practice, escalate risks or issues and plan for future demand

ii. support local authorities in the utilisation of funding so that they can maximise outputs in supporting Ukrainian arrivals

iii. disseminate programme communications, highlight new guidance, and test the operational impact of new policy changes within London

vi. oversee light touch, self-assessment assurance processes that local authorities will be required to engage with

v. work with Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, Government Departments and other local service providers to support the welcome and integration of new arrivals from Ukraine

vi. provide a resilience function, learning the lessons from Ukraine, Afghanistan and previous humanitarian crises to ensure that London is well-equipped to deal with future crises

2.2 This will be delivered through meeting 22/23 staff costs to dedicate existing staff time towards the delivery of these shared aims, with the remainder going towards programme spend to facilitate alignment of work within the Migration Team. This may include contributions towards the Migrant Londoners Hub and civil society capacity building grants or other projects where there is alignment with the purpose of the grant fund and contribute towards the welcome and integration of new arrivals from Ukraine.

2.3 The DLUHC have granted permission for any underspend from the 2022/23 financial year to be carried forward and allocated in 2023/24 towards the same purpose. Table 1 provides an indicative breakdown of this expenditure.

Table 1 – Ukraine funding

2.4 To support the work of the wider LSMP, particularly given there is a requirement to spend this money within the current 2022/23 financial year, we will focus on the rapid commissioning of research and training to meet the most urgent gaps in knowledge within the system, and alignment with broader GLA work in order to maximise support for the target groups. The focus of this research and training has been designed in close consultation with partners that are working to support Afghan evacuees, refugee and asylum-seeking Londoners.

3.1 Equality, integration and inclusion are the drivers behind this programme. The work to improve access to services will reduce barriers and discrimination facing many new arrivals, particularly racialised migrants and migrants who have limited English language.

3.2 Reducing barriers for arrivals from Ukraine to access services, and to feel welcome and belong in their communities, helps them to secure their rights and entitlements and become socially integrated into London life. This programme creates more possibilities for arrivals from Ukraine to flourish within their communities by ensuring that their basic rights are secured.

4.1 This programme delivers on the Mayor’s commitments set out in his Social Integration Strategy ‘All of Us’ to promote equality, participation and relationships that enable a more socially integrated city.

4.2 There is a risk of duplication on the programme through work already being delivered within London including by London Councils; we will work closely with them and ensure that work delivered through this grant is coordinated and aligned, and to maximise value for money. There is a risk that this funding will be unable to meet the scale of need in London, or resolve long-standing issues such as the supply of affordable accommodation. We have engaged with other departments, including the GLA Housing and Land team to ensure that this work aligns with longstanding work on housing and homelessness, and will sit within a wider migration team who are seeking address longstanding barriers to the welcome and integration of new arrivals.

4.3 There is a risk that some funds will not be spent within this financial year given the tight timelines for delivery. For the Ukraine funding, we already have permission to carry the funds forward and will therefore have more time to properly utilise these funds over the course of 23/24. For the LSMP funding, we are focusing on projects that are most urgent and can be rapidly realised. We will act within the terms of our grant agreements and grant variations and, where required, will return any underspend to our funder.

4.4 There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form. The team who will be administering these projects include secondees and trustees of a number of relevant organisations, appropriate mitigations will be put in place throughout all tendering and grant programmes to remove relevant officers from a decision-making role regarding funding where any conflict does arise. This applies to GLA officers and also those funded to deliver work on our behalf. Any commissioned services will be procured competitively in accordance with the Contracts and Funding Code.

5.1 This decision seeks approval for the following in 2022-23 financial year.

i. receipt of up to £70,000 of grant funding from the DLUHC to support the delivery of the Homes for Ukraine scheme in London

ii. expenditure of this funding to meet the costs related to providing strategic support for the delivery of the Homes for Ukraine programme and responding to other related refugee pressures in London

iii. receipt of up to £57,000 of grant funding from the Home Office to support the wider work of the LSMP

iv. expenditure of this funding to meet the costs related to the delivery of the LSMP function in London.

5.2 The £70,000 grant funding from DLUHC is expected in February 2023 and DLUHC have granted permission for any underspend from the 2022/23 financial year to be carried forward and allocated in 2023/24 towards the same purpose.

5.3 The £57,000 funding from the Home Office is to be received and spent in 2022-23 financial year. Anything not spent will be returned to the Home Office.

Power to undertake the requested decisions

6.1. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the director concern the exercise of the Authority’s general powers and fall within the Authority’s statutory power to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of social development in Greater London and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

i. pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people

ii. consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom

iii. consult with appropriate bodies.   

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, the director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the director should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Grant funding from DLUHC and the Home Office

6.3. Decisions 1 and 3 above seek approval for the receipt by the GLA of up to £70,000 of grant funding from the DLUHC and up to £57,000 of grant funding from the Home Office.  The officers are reminded to ensure that they comply with the conditions imposed by the DLUHC and the Home Office upon the Authority’s use of the grand funding.

Project-related procurements

6.4. As regards decisions 2 and 4 above, the officers must ensure that the procurement of services and supplies to support the Homes for Ukraine project and the LSMP be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Authority’s Contracts and Funding Code.  Furthermore, the officers must ensure that an appropriate agreement be put in place between the Authority and the relevant service provider or supplier before the commencement of the relevant services or supplies.