Afghan refugees that have been offered homes in Richmond are stuck in hotels across London while their new homes stay empty.

It comes as a local councillor slammed the Home Office for not moving Afghan refugee families to three available homes in Richmond.

Lib Dem councillor Piers Allen said the homes have been empty for weeks due to the government not taking action to move the families.

It comes as the council found three homes for the families to move into in the posh leafy borough.

Cllr Allen claims they are currently in hotel rooms in areas such as Central London and keep getting moved from one hotel to another.

Cllr Piers Allen, cabinet member for adult social services and health, recently said on Twitter: "So disappointed to learn that [Richmond Council] has been paying for a house for an Afghan refugee family for the last three weeks, but is still waiting for the [Home Office] to allocate a family – it's weeks since families came to the UK, what on earth can excuse the delay [Priti Patel]?"

Yesterday (November 15), he added: "It's now a month since I posted this – we now have three houses ready for allocated Afghan refugee families in [Richmond], but guess how many allocations from the [Home Office]?

"Three? Just two? Even a single one? No, absolutely NONE …"

Cllr Piers Allen told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Our council is working with London councils to try and see if our experiences are similar to other councils and looks like it is.

"We are trying to understand what the barriers are to the Home Office."

"It's now weeks since some of these families have been in hotels, and the promise was obviously that they would be permanently rehoused and it's distressing [for them]."

He added: "We have not been able to make the progress that we've offered, because of the Home Office."

A government spokesperson said: "The government has undertaken the UK's biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history helping over 15,000 people to safety.

"There is now a huge effort underway to get families into permanent homes so they can settle and rebuild their lives, and to ensure those still temporarily accommodated in hotels have access to healthcare, education, any essential items they need and employment opportunities or Universal Credit.

"The ongoing role of local authorities is vital to these efforts and we are grateful for their continued offers of support and housing but the accommodation offered must meet the needs of those being resettled."

A spokesperson for Richmond Council confirmed: "We have put forward three properties to the Home Office and are waiting for families to be referred to us.

"We are in regular discussions with the Home Office for updates and to ensure we have the right support in place for families when they do come to us."

Richmond Council is offering private landlords payment of: 

2 bedroom = £2,500 + 6 weeks rent in advance

4 bedroom = £3,500 +6 weeks rent in advance