Lancashire County Council, now under Reform UK control, has announced plans to withdraw from the government’s refugee resettlement schemes, with Councillor Joshua Roberts, the cabinet member for rural affairs, environment and communities, stating the move is about “fairness” and ensuring local residents are “put at the front of the queue”.
The decision, which would make Lancashire the first local authority in the country to leave the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) and the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), is expected to be formally put to the cabinet later this summer. The council currently coordinates these programmes on behalf of 14 unitary and district councils in Lancashire that hold housing responsibilities.
Reform UK has drawn a distinction between the two discretionary schemes and the “Homes for Ukraine” initiative, which it acknowledges carries a legal obligation and will continue unchanged. The party argues that while central government funds the resettlement programmes, they nonetheless consume council resources and place “significant pressure on the local housing market” – a claim Mr Roberts fleshed out in his public remarks.
Reasons and financial implications
Mr Roberts said money currently spent on resettling refugees would instead be redirected to support vulnerable residents and veterans in Lancashire, whom he accused successive Labour and Conservative governments of having “deprioritised for far too long”. He added: “This proposal is about fairness. Reform UK was elected last May to make sure that the people who live, work and contribute to Lancashire are put at the front of the queue and are not disadvantaged.”
The council’s rationale centres on the assertion that refugees are housed in the private rented sector, taking properties off the market – sometimes sitting empty for up to three months before being occupied – and exacerbating existing housing struggles for local residents. Under the UKRS, central government provides ring-fenced funding to local authorities to support refugees for up to five years, but Reform UK contends that the schemes’ indirect costs on council staff time, housing allocation and wider services outweigh the benefits.
Official government statistics show that 190,000 people were granted leave to come to or remain in the UK through safe and legal humanitarian routes in 2025 – an increase on the previous year largely driven by extensions to existing Ukraine schemes. The UKRS itself, launched in March 2021, replaced the earlier Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS). Under those predecessors, Lancashire committed to resettle 575 people under VPRS (ultimately resettling 654 by its close in 2021) and 27 under VCRS. For UKRS, the county committed to 240 people between November 2020 and April 2023, with 95 resettled as of August 2023. For Afghan schemes (ARAP and ACRS), Lancashire has committed to resettle 360 people. The overall resettler population in Lancashire – including refugees and asylum seekers – stood at roughly 37,277 as of November 2023 (just under 3% of the population), with an additional 6,000 requiring active support through government forced migration schemes, representing a 200% increase since May 2021.
The council’s own refugee integration team grew from one staff member in 2016 to 29 in 2022, more than half of whom had lived experience as refugees or asylum seekers. Mr Roberts’ proposal would see Lancashire cease coordination for the UKRS and ARP, though the council spokesperson stressed that “any changes to policy would require a decision by the cabinet”.
Political backlash from opposition
Opposition councillors have dismissed the plans as a “political stunt” timed to coincide with local elections in Lancashire. Councillor Azhar Ali, leader of the Progressive Lancashire group, said: “These are central government schemes, which Lancashire County Council is paid to administer. If they decide that they no longer want to be paid for that work, the government will find other [councils] that do – it won’t stop the schemes.” He warned that withdrawal could cut off funding for refugees already settled in the county.
Conservative group leader Councillor Aidy Riggott expressed scepticism, saying: “I await the cabinet paper with interest and do hope that this isn’t another bungled, ill-thought-through announcement from Reform just days before local elections in Lancashire.”
Green party group leader Councillor Gina Dowding called it “a political stunt, for publicity, the week of local elections – but which will actually stop government funding coming into Lancashire to support refugees who are already here”. She highlighted how the Afghan housing scheme had enabled Lancaster City Council to purchase homes, with one property designated for an Afghan family still living in a hotel at the time.
The criticism comes against a backdrop of wider controversy: the Reform-led council quietly withdrew from the “Library of Sanctuary” accreditation at the end of 2025 – a decision taken by a Reform councillor that opponents described as “mean-spirited” and driven by “xenophobic tendencies”, noting the scheme was free and helped library staff. Opposition figures have also urged Reform to focus on local issues such as road repairs and stalled projects rather than national policy areas where the county council has “little legislative room for manoeuvre”.
Reform UK secured a significant majority on Lancashire County Council in the May 2025 elections, winning 53 of 84 seats. The party’s national platform includes a strong anti-immigration stance, advocating policies such as “Stop the Boats” and offshore processing, and linking uncontrolled immigration to wage depression, housing crises and pressure on the NHS – a context that frames the local withdrawal as part of a broader political strategy.
