COUNCIL chiefs from across Worcestershire have agreed to go ahead with a bid to resettle up to 50 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.
Negotiations will begin later this month with the Home Office and West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership to begin the process of housing refugees after the Government confirmed the full cost of supporting Syrian refugees will come from the Foreign Aid budget.
And any offers of help from Redditch residents willing to do their bit to help re-settle the refugees are welcome.
Borough council leader Councillor Bill Hartnett said: “If you’re in Redditch and thinking that you might be able to help house refugees, you can register an interest in advance. Just contact our Strategic Housing team, the email address is [email protected].
“While we don’t yet know exactly when things could start happening, we are expecting advance notice at which time preparations can be made.”
The county-wide plan was agreed by the leaders of Worcestershire County, Bromsgrove District, Malvern Hills District, Redditch Borough, Worcester City, Wychavon District and Wyre Forest District Councils at a meeting last Thursday (January 7).
Refugees in the county will be placed in privately-rented housing to avoid any impact on Worcestershire’s already strained social housing supply. Some councils have already been approached by private landlords offering to house refugees.
In a joint statement Worcestershire Council Leaders said: “We’ve always been clear we were prepared to play our part in housing some of the most vulnerable people affected by the Syrian conflict, but we needed assurances over funding. We’re delighted we now have those assurances and are able to proceed with a formal bid.
“Our aim will be to ensure they arrive sooner rather than later.”
A decision on how many more Syrian refugees will be housed in Worcestershire up until 2020 will be made once the initial families have arrived.
