Anger over child refugee U-turn Birmingham was ready to take in 79 more unaccompanied youngsters Borough refuses to take more Syrians
BIRMINGHAM is ready and able to offer shelter to 79 unaccompanied child refugees but has been prevented by a ‘scandalous’ Government U-turn, it has been claimed.
Council Labour equalities boss Waseem Zaffar said the city was waiting to provide help and support to unaccompanied youngsters who have made the dangerous trip to Europe.
Last year the Government, following the famous Lord Dubs amendment to the Immigration Act, agreed to take in 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children. But last week it dropped the scheme after taking only 350, saying councils had not got the capacity to take in any more. Lord Alf Dubs was famously a Jewish child refugee who fled persecution in Nazi Germany.
The decision to stop the scheme has been condemned by politicians and aid charities who accused the Government of turning its back on vulnerable children at risk of abuse and exploita- tion by traffickers promised help.
Councillor Zaffar said that Birmingham currently has 119 unaccompanied refugee children in its care – but only a handful have come through the Dubs scheme. The city has capacity for 198.
He said: “We are disappointed with the position the Government has taken in saying that local authorities haven’t been putting themselves forward. Birmingham to who it had is more than willing to work with Government on this. To stop the scheme at just 350 is disgraceful, it’s scandalous. It goes against public opinion and the opinion of Parliament.”
In a further update to the council, which has City of Sanctuary status, Councillor Zaffar confirmed that the city was on course to meet its commitment to take 500 Syrian refugees directly under the Government funded Syrian Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme by 2020. So far 50 have arrived after their refugee status was confirmed at UN run camps in Turkey, the Lebanon and Jordan.
The council has however raised concerns over the handling of asylum seekers in the region and has formally objected to a building being earmarked by contractor G4S as a base for asylum seekers. SANDWELL Council has slammed the door on Syrian refugees.
Local authorities have been asked to take in refugees fleeing from the war-torn country as part of the Government’s Syrian Resettlement Programme.
But Sandwell Council leader Steve Eling said the borough already takes more than its fair share.
Councillor Eling said: “We have had a fairly disproportionate amount of refugees placed in Sandwell by the Government.
“This council took the position that we wouldn’t consider participating unless the Government fairly disperses refugees and asylum seekers.
“Sometimes we have around 900 at a time when places like Solihull have none. There are also all these Tory areas that take none.
“It is nothing to do with the people of Syria, it is to do with unfair treatment.
“I would love to take our fair share (of Syrians) but it means other places taking their fair share as well.
“The Government has got to get a grip with this.”