Council responds to Syrian refugee crisis

September 17, 2015 by Southend Borough Council

Council responds to Syrian refugee crisis

Friday 18th September 2015

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has today set out its position on helping Syrian refugees.

Cllr Ron Woodley, Leader of the Council said: “None of us can help but be deeply moved by the awful scenes of Syrian refugees fleeing war and it is clear that we need to offer our support. It is the right and humane thing to do and I think local people expect us to show leadership and respond accordingly.

“Following an announcement by the Government on 7th September that the UK should look to resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next 5 years, we have been asked if we would like to offer support to Syrian refugee’s and to give an indication on numbers that we could possibly take.

“We have written a response to the LGA putting forward an initial figure of 10 refugees in total with a preference for families. This is based on the fact that details of the resettlement scheme including the funding element are yet to be confirmed.

“We have raised a number of questions about the process and the funding and have stated that once more information is released about the scheme we will reassess the numbers we would be able to support.

“The Council will look positively for ways that we can assist those who are fleeing from war and persecution, and hope to work alongside those local charities and faith groups who I know are keen to help the refugees."

The exact details of the support available for new arrivals is still to be confirmed but is likely to be modelled on the current Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.