A COUNCIL has taken on two refugees fleeing war in Afghanistan with plans to welcome more as resettlement applications are approved.

Gwynedd Council has been working to provide a home for individuals who are escaping the country after the withdrawal of British and US troops and takeover of Taliban forces.

Boris Johnson has confirmed the UK will welcome 20,000 Afghan refugees over the coming years, with immediate priority given to "locally engaged staff" (LES) under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (AFAP).

Local authority officers are in dialogue with private landlords and hope to work with housing associations to provide the homes.

It has a team of staff who co-ordinate the work, as well as working with the refugees and providing them with support to resettle.

The council said it is committed to housing more individuals in the coming weeks.

Gwynedd Council’s leader, Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn, said: “The images emerging from Afghanistan at the moment are tragic, and we, as a council, are committed to doing everything within our power and resources we have available to provide refugees with a home, and support for them to resettle within their new communities.

"We have been working with the Home Office for some weeks to accelerate our plans to house Afghan refugees following recent developments in the country.

"We want to take every possible opportunity to help our fellow humans in crisis, which is what we are doing here, hoping to offer refugees in need a better life while they cannot remain in their homeland.”

Isle of Anglesey Council, as well as Denbighshire County Council and Conwy County Borough Council, will accept one family under the AFAP.

An Isle of Anglesey Council spokesperson said: “Isle of Anglesey County Council support the scheme. At the moment, we hope to resettle one Afghan family. There have been no arrivals from Afghanistan yet.”

Under the AFAP, local authorities will initially receive central government funding to cover four months of costs until long-term solutions for the resettling families are found.

During that time they will be expected to provide accommodation; advice and assistance for employment, welfare benefits, housing, health and education; registration with GPs and jobcentres; assistance with school places for school-aged children; and cash support.

Councils in Wales are understood to be seeking political support before committing to the scheme, with concerns raised over the availability of accommodation and the resources required to provide support to refugees.

LES and their families will at first be granted limited leave to remain in the UK, with the opportunity to apply for permanent settlement.

Refugees arriving from Afghanistan will be required to quarantine in line with government requirements before they are able to continue with their resettlement process.