20 Afghan war veteran families to be resettled in Dudley
Twenty Afghan families who aided British troops overseas will be resettled in a Black Country borough.
The families, who are war veterans, will settle in Dudley as part of a national relocation programme.
They risked their lives for British troops on the frontline in Afghanistan, helping them with interpretation and translation services.
The UK Government says it is keen to show its appreciation for them with this national relocation scheme.
The first families are expected to arrive in Dudley this summer.
Dudley Council said they would not be jumping in front of local people currently on the housing waiting list.
Afghani families will also be relocating to other parts of the Black Country.
Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member for housing and community services, said: "The sacrifice many of these people made in Afghanistan to help protect British troops is extremely moving, and, like local authorities across the country, of course we are happy to help.
"The government-funded scheme will mean they will be able to relocate from Afghanistan to our borough and we have set a maximum of 20 families to come here.
"We will be able to access a range of private and social housing so there shouldn’t be any impact on local people already on the housing waiting list.
"We will be working with the families to make sure they have a home in the borough in the most sensible and fair way."