Councils have offered almost 1,000 properties to support the resettlement and relocation of Afghan citizens and their families, the latest figures have shown.
A letter to local authority chief executives from the Government revealed that local authorities had offered 925 properties as of October 18.
Some 5,000 Afghan refugees are expected to require support during the next 12 months, including many who are already in the UK.
A further 15,000 are likely to follow during the coming years.
Sector insiders have complained about some aspects of the Government’s response, including the time taken to match available accommodation with asylum seekers due to ‘ropey data’.
Chief executive of the Local Government Association (LGA), Mark Lloyd, told a meeting last week that councils had ‘deep concerns’ that the current schemes were working effectively.
Leader of the LGA’s Labour group, Cllr Nick Forbes, called for ‘much better data sharing from the Home Office’ while chair of London Councils, Cllr Georgia Gould, highlighted concerns about the lack of communication with local government and asylum seekers about long-term housing needs.
One local government source said: ‘Frankly, it’s a raging bin fire.
'It’s just awful and incredibly frustrating.
‘We are two months on from the evacuation and the lack of data has been a real barrier.
'I don’t understand why the Home Office has been letting properties go empty.
‘The Home Office has no real idea of who they need to place.
'It’s hard to come to the conclusion that the Home Office is anything but incompetent.’
Local authorities in the West Midlands have already launched legal action so they can suspend their participation in the voluntary asylum dispersal scheme because they believe the ‘majority of other councils are simply not 'stepping up and playing' their part in responding to the 'unfolding humanitarian crisis’.
Cllr John Batchelor, lead cabinet member for housing at South Cambridgeshire DC, which has put forward eight homes for families from Afghanistan, said: ‘We have had properties available for three to four weeks before we had our allocation come in.
'It has taken some time.’
A Government spokesperson said: 'There is now a huge effort underway to secure permanent accommodation for Afghan families who have been evacuated so they can settle and rebuild their lives.
'Those still temporarily accommodated in hotels have access to healthcare, education and essential items, as well as employment opportunities or Universal Credit.'