Brits Boast About Their Homes as They Launch Bidding War For Ukrainian Refugees, Media Says

The United Kingdom’s programme for helping refugees has descended into chaos as people launch bidding wars on social media boasting about their homes, The Telegraph has reported. According to the newspaper, users on Facebook are competing against each other, bragging about the size of their houses, bedrooms, as well as leisure facilities located nearby.

"[We have] a room with bunk beds and shared facilities. We have a trampoline and a skate ramp in the garden and bikes, scooters and skateboards to enjoy. We have two horses and three cats as well", one user wrote.

Another family offered "two double bedrooms and a large private bathroom” as well as "a room with a king-size bed" in a house "next to the beach".

Ukrainian refugees are said to have received 300 posts each with Brits offering them to stay in their houses. The Telegraph writes that 147,000 people have registered for the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Sources told the newspaper that this amounted to more than 400,000 rooms.

A couple who spoke to the outlet said they had to abandon their plans to offer accommodation to Ukrainians in the face of intense competition.

“You have people vying for families to come and stay. Everyone wants to do so much, it’s just a nightmare. It just opens it up for loads of the wrong people and people being choosy as to who they want to come. We just think it is a bit of a mess and we will wait for the furore to settle down. Can you imagine being on the other side of it? They don’t know where they are going. Where is Gloucester? What is the state of the place? Are there any Ukrainians in Gloucester? Can I get a job?” the pair said.

The couple’s frustration has been echoed by charity organisations, which said that the authorities must immediately take charge of the process instead of leaving it to the public.

"With multiple Facebook sites now available, there is a risk of the process getting out of control and becoming a free-for-all. It’s vital the Government now steps in and has oversight of the matching process", said Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council.

Robina Qureshi, the director of Positive Action in Housing which runs Room for Refugees, said the government’s system is an "inadequate replacement for a safe, screened, risk-assessed hosting process".

“They are gathering people’s data on who will help on an industrial scale when they should be bringing refugees over on an industrial scale. That register will go nowhere. You will have a trickle of people”.

Lord Richard Harrington, UK minister for refugees, said the first Ukrainians under the government scheme would start arriving in Britain early next week. He said the government has no idea how many people would enter the country.

Under the programme, residents of Britain have to offer accommodation for at least six months. The government will provide "a substantial level of funding to local authorities to enable them to provide much wider support to families to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into our communities". Under this scheme, people will have access to public services, work, and benefits.

Authorities are offering an optional "thank you" payment of £350 per month to people who can accommodate one or more household. It is limited to one payment per residential address.

Since 24 February, Russia has been conducting a special operation in Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin said is meant to de-Nazify and demilitarise Kiev as well as protect the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from the genocide waged against them by Ukraine's leadership.

Western nations have thrown their support behind Ukraine and condemned Russia's actions, also slapping the harshest sanctions on Moscow to date, triggering an unprecedented stand-off with the Kremlin.

According to the United Nations, more than 3.2 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the operation.