UK households offered £350 a month for hosting refugees

Households in the UK will be offered £350 a month to open their homes to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The government's "Homes for Ukraine" scheme calls on people to offer a spare room or an empty property to a refugee for a period of at least six months.

Announcing the new scheme  urged people to join the "national effort" and give a safe home to those in need.

Individuals acting as sponsors will be able to nominate a named Ukrainian individual or family to stay with them rent-free in their home, or in a separate property, for six months.

Sponsors won't be required to know them in advance - they might find them, for example, through posts on social media.

There will be no limit on the number of refugees who can come to the UK through this route, and they will be given three years leave to remain, with the right to work and access public services.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians might be taken in by UK families and said local authorities would receive £10,000 in extra funding per refugee for support services - with more for children of school age.

Applications would be made online, with both sponsors being vetted and refugees having to go through security checks. The sponsor would get a "thank you" payment of £350 a month.

A website for people to express an interest in offering accommodation will launch on Monday, 14 March.

In a later phase, organisations such as charities and churches will be able to do the same, though there is no start date for this yet.