Five Syrian refugee families could resettle in Warwick district

Five Syrian families displaced by conflict are set to be rehomed within Warwick district over the next four years should Warwick District Council pledge its support to the idea.
Warwick District Council NNL-141013-125646001 NNL-141013-125646001Warwick District Council NNL-141013-125646001 NNL-141013-125646001
Warwick District Council NNL-141013-125646001 NNL-141013-125646001

The district must take in refugees as part of the Government’s scheme to resettle 20,000 people from United Nations refugee camps, and may be living in the district as early as the start of 2017.

Warwick District Council was deemed to be able to take in five Syrian families after talks with the West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership, which helps find solutions to resettling refugees and asylum seekers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a document, the council states the actual process of resettling refugees in the district is ‘still being worked through’, but they aim to ‘build on the experience’ of authorities like Coventry City Council, which has rehomed several refugees already.

It also states the Government scheme ‘emphasises that any families coming into the country will have been thoroughly assessed at different stages for their needs and for security purposes.’

Housing for the families is likely to come from the private sector, but whether this is the case depends on ‘a number of variables.’

The document claims because of the small number of families, the impact on the district is ‘likely to be low.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Offa House in Offchurch was previously set to be a halfway-house for Syrian refugees but is likely to be scrapped after a lack of funding from the Home Office.

A decision will be made on whether to pledge support to the resettling of the families at a meeting of the council’s executive on Wednesday April 6.