NEGOTIATIONS are underway for Southend to permanently home seven more refugee families after their desperate attempt to flee war-torn Afghanistan.

After months of being temporarily housed across the country, the seven families will be given permanent homes in the town.

It follows one Afghan family already being permanently housed in Southend.

Four more homes are currently undergoing assessment from the Home Office, with a further three in the pipeline.

The Park Inn Palace hotel on Church Road, has been home to around 90 refugees since September, with all the families awaiting permanent homes in the UK or abroad.

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Kevin Bentley, leader of Essex County Council, and chair of a task force set up at County Hall to find homes for the Afghan refugees, said: “The further housing offers made only service to highlight again the success of taking a team Essex approach.

“This is not something that we are going to achieve overnight.

“Only through working together are we going to ensure the individuals who have risked so much to support the UK and other people who had to flee Afghanistan can get the best possible start to life here.

“I am delighted that soon even more families will be settling into their new homes across our great county and look forward to building on our progress as a task force.”

It comes as Essex County Council revealed further homes for Afghan refugees have been found across the county Earlier this month, Ian Gilbert, leader of Southend Council, issued a plea for landlords to come forward and offer homes to the task force.

Anyone wishing to make an offer of a property can contact their council.

It is unclear whether it is council homes or privately rented homes which are being made available to refugees.

If approved by the Government, the homes could be available as soon as next month.

In Colchester, the council is in talks with the Ministry of Defence to negotiate the use of a further ten properties.

Across Essex, another two families have been housed, taking the combined total across the county to six.

The Essex County Council task force covers the whole of the county, including Southend and Thurrock, in response to the Government Afghan Citizens’ resettlement scheme.