Homes row over Syrian refugees

Council leader condemns rival’s claim of preferential treatment

THE leader of one of Scotland’s biggest councils has accused a former colleague of stirring up tensions over the accommodation of Syrian refugees.

North Lanarkshire’s Jim Logue said comments by the authority’s former housing convener on the imminent arrival from Beirut of 24 Syrians to the Wishaw area were “outrageous” contemptuous.

Sam Love, who quit Labour after being axed from his senior post, had said handing the refugees houses, rather than maisonettes or flats, could provoke anger among locals.

Mr Love said the size of the properties where the Syrians could be accommodated was the issue rather than their arrival, adding that and “some people on the housing register are waiting 10 to 15 years for a house with a front and back garden”.

Claiming the Syrians “can’t be jumping into these homes”, Mr Love told a local newspaper: “These families are moving into houses with front and back doors and gardens.

“I can see councillors getting a lot of flack about this and I think it could cause problems for local councillors.”

He later said: “I’m just the messenger expressing the views of constituents that have been coming to me.”

But Mr Logue said: “The comments attributed to Councillor Love were totally outrageous and potentially could stoke up resentment in communities towards desperate people, some of whom have been treated terribly.

“I know the vast majority of residents will treat these remarks with the contempt they deserve and not heed Councillor Love’s attempts to divide our communities in a desperate attempt to enhance his electoral prospects.”

Mr Love and several colleagues quit Labour a year ago after Mr Logue became leader and removed them from their posts.

Along with a number de-selected by Labour Mr Love will contest the May local elections as the Independent Alliance.

North Lanarkshire will re-settle 180 refugees in total as part of the UK Government’s Syrian Resettlement Programme, with some already in Airdrie, Coatbridge, Bellshill and Motherwell.

Council sources said most housing stock in the Wishaw area, where they claim the authority has most vacancies, are front and back door properties.

A senior Labour figure said: “All this has done is prompt us to counter a campaign of misinformation with facts. With two months to the electionm Sam Love is attempting to tap into a mentality prevalent across the world right now. We will not apologise for providing decent housing for people displaced in some of the worst violence since the Second World War.”

A council source said: “Since these comments emerged there has been unity across the political benches in condemning what is seen as attempts to press certain buttons within the community.”