Councillor Demands Security Checks for Afghan Resettlement

A councillor has asked for assurances that people who could pose a security risk have not been housed in Bracknell through the Afghan resettlement programme.

Sandhurst town councillor John Edwards wrote to Bracknell Forest Council asking it to seek government assurances over the security and vetting processes used for Afghan arrivals, after national press reports questioned the scheme.

Those reports include allegations that people with Taliban links were brought to Britain and that some applicants falsely claimed to have assisted British forces. Those claims have not been independently verified by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Cllr Edwards said he supports sanctuary for Afghans who genuinely worked alongside British forces. "In my opinion we should be helping the Afghan people who served in the armed forces. It is good to stand by your allies."

"I am not saying everyone who comes over here is dangerous," he added. "But if there are reports that vetting has failed, as it quite clearly might have done, we don't want those people here."

In a letter dated November 10 he asked the council to seek assurances that nobody with Taliban links, or anyone who had wrongly qualified for relocation, had been accommodated in the borough. He said this matters for both existing residents and Afghan families who legitimately qualified.

Cllr Edwards said he was not asking the council to carry out its own security checks. "I am not asking you to conduct a separate vetting process. I am asking you to seek assurances from the relevant government departments or confirm that you know with certainty that none of these individuals are based here."

He said he had made a similar request after reports last year but claimed the council had declined to seek the assurances he wanted. He also argued there was a reluctance to scrutinise the programme because of the sensitivity around immigration. "It has become taboo," he said. "You cannot scrutinise this scheme because people call you racist."

Cllr Edwards cited a July 2025 Telegraph investigation alleging former Taliban fighters were living in Britain, and Daily Mail reports alleging false claims of helping British forces.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was set up for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan. The scheme closed to new applications in July 2025, but the Ministry of Defence and Home Office are still processing a backlog of cases submitted before the deadline, so new arrivals are continuing to come to the UK.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Bracknell Forest Council for comment. The Home Office said the policy was a matter for the Ministry of Defence. The Ministry of Defence was asked about checks carried out before people are relocated, what happens if security concerns emerge after arrival and what assurances it can provide about the integrity of the system.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter