A committee will be established by the county council to renovate a house and give it to a refugee family.

It was decided at the Oxfordshire County Council full council meeting on Tuesday that five councillors will be appointed to the Charlotte Coxe Trust Committee, which will oversee 33 and 35 High Street in Watlington.

33 High Street is a vacant two storey house, which has been empty for some years and 35 High Street has Watlington Library on its ground floor.

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County council leader councillor Liz Leffman said at the meeting: “A lot of work has already been done by local residents to clear up the garden and to tidy up the house and to make it ready for a refugee family to come to Watlington. I hope we can make this happen as quickly as possible.

“We obviously have a great need in this county for accommodation for refugees not just from Ukraine but, in this case, we were looking at the possibility of giving a home of an Afghan family. I know they will be well looked after and well supported when they do come to Watlington because there is a real determination to make this happen.”

Ms Leffman hopes the committee will only have to meet a couple of times to decide “what the way forward will be”.

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