16th March 2023
Host & Guest e-newsletter
Welcome to the latest issue of our host and guest e-newsletter. If you can, why not sit down together to read it?
Important information regarding 'thank you' payments
Since the start of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme in March 2022, host ‘thank you’ payments have been £350 per month. In Lincolnshire, we temporarily raised this to £500 for the months of December 2022, January and February 2023 to help with increased living costs over winter.
In Lincolnshire, host ‘thank you’ payments are paid by our seven district councils. They have different financial systems and work to slightly different timescales, and payments also vary depending on the specific date a guest arrived. As a rule, most hosts are paid one month in arrears. So, most hosts will have seen their ‘thank you’ payments temporarily go up to £500 in January, February and March 2023. They will revert to the standard £350 from April 2023.
In December 2022, the government also announced some other changes to host payments, including increasing the ‘thank you’ payment to £500 a month for guests who have been in the UK for over a year.
We are approaching the 12 month anniversary of our first guests arriving in Lincolnshire. This means that once payments have reverted to £350 a month in April, hosts will start to see their ‘thank you’ payments going back up to £500 as they reach the first anniversary of their guests’ arrival in the UK (this could be almost straight away if your guest was one of the first arrivals on the scheme). The timing of these changes will differ from one host to another as it’s dependent on when guests arrived in the UK.
This increase to £500 is based on when the guest arrived in the UK, not when the guest arrived with their current host. If your guest lived with another host before coming to stay with you then the payment will go up to £500 before they have lived with you for 12 months.
Hosts are not allowed to charge rent to their guests, but they may ask for reasonable contributions towards food and other household expenses during a guest’s stay. Please read the government’s host and guest guidance for more information.
If you have any queries regarding your ‘thank you’ payment, please contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk in the first instance.
Homes for Ukraine - one year on
Tuesday 14 March 2023 marked one year since the launch of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme and it’s now one of the fastest and largest visa programmes in UK history.
Thanks to the generosity of thousands of people here in the UK, over 116,000 Ukrainians have arrived safely under the scheme, including over 1,200 in Lincolnshire.
As part of our work to recruit more hosts across the county we're looking to interview some of our first ‘Homes for Ukraine’ hosts and guests. If you either started hosting or arrived in the UK in March, April or May 2022 and are happy to speak with us about your involvement in the scheme, please email homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk so we can get in touch.
Driving licences
Ukrainian guests with a valid Ukrainian driving licence can drive cars in the UK for up to 12 months without having to exchange their Ukrainian licence for a UK licence. During this 12 month period Ukrainians can drive both automatic and manual cars. After 12 months, they need to exchange their Ukrainian licence for a UK licence.
Please be aware though that the UK licence that is provided will probably only allow the licence holder to drive automatic cars. To gain entitlement to drive manual cars the applicant will need to pass a full UK driving test.
Further details are available on the Travel page of the ‘Connect to Support’ website.
Easter Holiday Activities and Food programme for school age children
Bookings are now open for the Easter Holiday Activities and Food programme, taking place from Monday 3 April to Friday 14 April 2023 (excluding weekends and bank holidays).
The Holiday Activities and Food programme is a government funded programme that provides all children aged 5 to 16 years in receipt of benefits related free school meals in Lincolnshire, including all children on the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, access to free healthy meals and activities over the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays.
More information about the programme, along with details of how to book is available on the ‘Connect to Support’ website.
Looking for support in your local community?
We’re lucky to have so many fantastic community groups in Lincolnshire offering a place to meet other like-minded people, ask questions and get support on a wide range of topics.
Why not visit your nearest community group? They’re warm, welcoming spaces where you can drop in with your family for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat.
We’ve also arranged for Citizens Advice and Wellbeing Lincs to attend the groups listed below. They can help both hosts and guest with any questions on benefits, debt and money, employment, consumer, housing, family, immigration and more.
- Boston
Fridays: 10am-12pm
Centenary Methodist Church, Red Lion Street, Boston PE21 6NY - Grantham
Tuesdays: 9.30am-1pm
Jubilee Church Life Centre, 5 London Road, Grantham NG31 6EY - Louth (with additional support from 'Wellbeing Lincs')
Thursdays: 11am-1pm
Louth Library, Northgate, Louth LN11 0LY - Skegness (with additional support from 'Wellbeing Lincs')
Mondays: 12.30-2pm - a staff member from the council's housing team will also be attending on Monday 20 March 2023
Skegness Town Council (Small Hall), Tower Gardens Pavilion, Rutland Road, Skegness PE25 2AX - Stamford Thursdays: 10:30am-12pm
Stamford Diversity Group, Conversation Café, Barnhill Methodist Church, Barn Hill, Stamford PE9 2AE
Home visits are also possible for those in rural areas (by exception) with translation support available. Please contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk or Wellbeing Lincs at ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk for more information.
Local elections on 4 May 2023
On Thursday 4 May 2023, local elections are taking place across England, including within all seven of Lincolnshire’s district and borough councils.
As non-EU and non-EEA citizens, Ukrainian guests are not eligible to vote in any upcoming UK local or general elections. Further information on the types of election, referendums, and who can vote is available on the Government website.
Voter ID in polling stations - information for hosts
From 4 May 2023, eligible voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections, including the 4 May local elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, UK parliamentary by-elections, Recall petitions and UK General elections (from October 2023).
There is a list of accepted forms of photo ID, this includes passports, driving licences and bus passes. If you don’t have one of these, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate. Learn more on the Electoral Commission website.
Temporary elections staff
Some of Lincolnshire’s district councils are still looking for temporary elections staff to support the forthcoming local elections. Although full training will be provided, a good grasp of English (both reading and verbal) is essential for these roles. Current vacancies are listed below:
East Lindsey District Council
Poll Clerks
Location: various locations within East Lindsey
Hours: 6.30am - 10.15pm approx. on Thursday 4 May 2023
Pay: Approx. £165 and 45p per mile for travel to polling station. There is also a £20 training fee to complete on-line training.
Count Assistants
Location: Meridian Leisure Centre, Wood Lane, Louth LN11 8SA
Hours: From 9pm on Thursday 4 May 2023
Pay: Night-time rates: approx. £15.75 per hour (includes travel)
North Kesteven District Council
Poll Clerks
Location: various locations within North Kesteven
Hours: 6.30am - 10.15pm approx. on Thursday 4 May 2023
Pay: Approx. £165 and 45p per mile for travel to polling station. There is also a £20 training fee to complete on-line training.
Count Assistants
Location: OneNK Leisure Centre, Moor Lane, North Hykeham LN6 9AX
Hours: From 9pm on Thursday 4 May 2023
Pay: Night-time rates: approx. £15.75 per hour (includes travel)
South Kesteven District Council
Poll Clerks
Location: various locations within South Kesteven
Hours:6.30am - 10.15pm approx. on Thursday 4 May 2023
Pay: Approx. £165 and 45p per mile for travel to polling station. There is also £20 training fee to complete on-line training.
Has your hosting arrangement come to an end?
If your guest has moved out of your accommodation, it’s really important that you let us know as soon as possible. This is so we can update our records and stop your host ‘thank you’ payments at the right time. If this applies to you, please contact us by emailing homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
If you don't let us know about these important changes and continue to claim the host ‘thank you’ payments when you're no longer hosting a guest, councils will look to recover these payments by applying their usual debt collection practices.
Access to further education
Refugee Education UK (REUK) is a charity that helps young refugees get into higher and further education within the UK.
They have compiled a list of useful resources and information on access to further education for young people on Ukrainian scheme visas.
Please visit the REUK website, If you want to find out how to progress in further education and need help with:
- Choosing a course
- Enrolling at college
- Funding to access college
- Previous qualifications
Reminder - Employability & Support Morning, Stamford
10.00am-12.30pm, Tuesday 21 March 2023
Meet local employers with job vacancies and connect with organisations who are providing support in the South Kesteven area. The Department for Work and Pensions will also be offering advice on benefit entitlement.
Read more on the event poster, available in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
Address details: Barnhill Methodist Church, Orion House, 11 Barn Hill, Stamford PE9 2AE
Your events
Please send any events for this newsletter to: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk
New or existing events, activities and any other support services open to Ukrainian guests can also be added to the 'Connect to Support' directory by completing the sign-up form (add ‘Ukraine Support’ to the title of your listings).
'Wellbeing Lincs'
'Wellbeing Lincs' offers emotional and practical support, help with accessing health, education, benefits and council services, including housing to all hosts and guests in Lincolnshire.
If you need to have a potentially difficult conversation with your host / guest, the 'Wellbeing Lincs' team may be able help you navigate this. They are trained in providing mediation and can support you in talking things through openly and honestly to reach a solution.
For help, email ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk with your name, address, contact information and a brief description of what you need.
The team will aim to be in touch within two working days. They can also be contacted by phone on 01507 613044 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday or 10am to 4.30pm on Fridays.
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