Rumours refugees housed in new homes quashed

Nearly 90% of a county's new council homes have been let to local residents, the council says, despite speculation on social media they would be used to house refugees.

The 54 properties built for the Rainbow Way project on the eastern edge of Minehead, Somerset, are among the first to be built in the area for 30 years.

All are now occupied, Somerset Council said, with 48 allocated to people from the town, while the remaining six homes were let to people with "strong local connections" to the area.

Councillor Gwilym Wren criticised those spreading "rumours and myths" online that the properties had been given to those from outside the area, including refugees currently housed in the West Midlands.

A total of 126 people have been housed in the properties, of which 48% were deemed to be the highest priority for housing by the council, meaning they were facing homelessness or harassment, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

They may also have faced being moved on from supported accommodation, or urgently in need of two or more bedrooms due to family circumstances.

Housing specialist Stephen Boland told Somerset Council's communities scrutiny committee on Monday: "It's fair to say that it's the residents of Minehead that have been allocated the properties."

He added: "I think the development is a good example of the council delivering quality homes. They're built to a really good standard, and I think it's gone some way towards helping to meet the local need in Minehead."

Mr Wren, who chaired the meeting, said the homes would only have gone to people outside the area in the event of there being an oversupply of properties.

"Inevitably, these things fuel rumours and myths regarding these homes," he said.

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