SYRIAN refugees will be housed in Monmouthshire after county councillors agreed to offer support to those fleeing the war-torn country.

In a motion submitted by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) leader Peter Fox last Thursday, (24th September) he called for the council to make contact with the government to make them aware of MCC’s willingness to support refugees fleeing Syria.

The council agreed to indicate their interest in signing up to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme. Announced by the UK Government earlier this year, the scheme offers the most vulnerable refugees protection in the UK. Those who benefit from the scheme will be granted five years humanitarian protection along with the right to work, claim welfare benefits and access health and education services.

Cllr Fox’s approved motion seeks to offer humanitarian aid for a limited number of refugees within the county. It is not known currently how many refugees Monmouthshire will receive but numbers will be decided following discussions with the UK government at a later date.

Leader Peter Fox said: “This is something I know colleagues across the council will share concerns with what we’ve seen for many months now.

“We felt very clearly as all groups do we needed to signal Monmouthshire’s will to offer humanitarian aid and articulate this through the motion. We want to offer the support we really think we could give.

“We’d like to make Her Majesty’s Government aware that we are interested in joining the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme and all that it encompasses.

“This motion signals that we together can offer support to desperate people in times of need.”

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“The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme is in operation and put in place by the Government and would require local authorities to identify the source of capacity they may have in the community.”

Councillor Sue White said: “I’m sure there are a few grey haired members who remember the aftermath of the Second World War where we had a lot of homeless and displaced persons, all sorts of nationalities who were allowed to stay and made very welcome.

“They found jobs and brought their families. One man was fighting for 10 years to bring his family from behind the Berlin wall. The eldest son was put into the Russian army but his youngest son and his wife were able to come 10 years after he arrived.

“The family still lives locally and are well known to me.

“Later on we have Uganda and the horrors of that. We welcomed a family to Monmouthshire and they were given a council house by the then county council.

“We as local people; ladies circle, round table and mothers union, all mucked in and furnished the house and they were made to feel very welcome.

“It’s in our genes to do this, we’ve always done it.”

Despite receiving support from across the council, questions were raised about how the county will provide for the refugees.

Councillor Armand Watts, who supported the motion, raised concerns over social service provision for those fleeing Syria. He said: “If we are bringing in families from a war torn area they would have suffered significant trauma.

“Do we have sufficient social services to provide assistance for these people?”

Cllr Watts also questioned whether Monmouthshire was the best placed to suit the refugees’ cultural needs. He said: “There isn’t a mosque in Chepstow or a place to buy halal meat”.