Third of councils in England refuse to take in Syrian refugees

Resettlement costs and local authority cuts mean David Cameron’s pledge to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees looks increasingly difficult

Demonstrators hold banners in support of refugees as they march through central London on March 19 (AFP)

More than a third of councils in England have refused to take in Syrian refugees due to the cost of housing and supporting them.

So far, councils have only made arrangements to take in 8,146 refugees of the total of 20,000 David Cameron has pledged the UK would accept.

A survey of councils by the Local Government Chronicle revealed that of the 152 councils who oversee social care, 53 authorities are not offering to take in any refugees.

The councils which have not offered to take in any refuges have said this is largely because the money the government gives to councils for each refugee does not cover the cost of resettling them.

Councils receive £8,500 for each refugee in the first year they arrive, which gradually falls to £1,000 in the fifth year.

But councils are already under financial pressure as the government has cut local authority funding by a third since 2010.

Council leaders estimate the government’s resettlement payouts will only cover 70 to 80 per cent of the costs, the Times reported.

Ten councils in Manchester are not taking part, though discussions with the government are ongoing.

In London, 11 of the 32 boroughs have agreed to take in a total of 521 refugees.

Lancashire is the area taking in the most refugees in England, with 600 due to be resettled there, while Gloucestershire is taking 560 and Kent 520.

According to the Home Office, the resettlement scheme had seen a total of 2,441 people taken in by the UK for the year ending March 2016. Of these, 1,667 people, half of whom were under 18, were also granted humanitarian protection.

Writing about the research, Local Government Chronicle editor Nick Golding said: “The British government’s offer was initially limited to funding humanitarian assistance in the countries surrounding Syria to which the vast majority of refugees fled.

"Public disquiet eventually forced it to promise sanctuary to 20,000 refugees deemed particularly vulnerable. It falls to councils to offer places to refugees in each area."

He said councils in Gloucestershire, Kent and Lancashire “deserve particular credit” for taking in hundreds of refugees, but said not every area can provide equal assistance.

“Some are already struggling to manage the impact of immigration,” he said.

“Some, especially in London, are unable to offer housing support to people who grew up locally, such is the pressure on housing.

"Whenever there is significant new immigration, it is essential that communities remain cohesive."