Below is a statement from Phil Scott, Head of Environment, Housing and Leisure at North Tyneside Council, about the council's offer of sanctuary and support to Afghan refugees.
“We have all been deeply moved by the images we have seen from Afghanistan in recent days. The suffering of the Afghan people seems to never end, and our hearts go out to them.
“As a council with a proud tradition of supporting people who have been displaced and dispossessed, we have pledged to do whatever we can to support the Government’s Afghan resettlement scheme. The scheme is being coordinated by the Home Office and the North East Migration Partnership, and we are working to identify suitable homes for three families here in North Tyneside.
“For the families who arrive from Afghanistan, we will work with our partners and council colleagues to ensure a wider package of support is in place, so they can settle here as quickly as possible and have access to local services.
“At the same time, we are also preparing to welcome three families via the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, and we are supporting six other Syrian families who we have already successfully rehoused here.
“It is difficult to imagine how traumatic it must be to leave everything behind and seek refuge in a country almost 4,000 miles away and I am certain that whoever comes to us will be treated with great kindness and compassion in North Tyneside.”
