Ceredigion County Council to Support Syrian Refugees

​It was also agreed that officers would act on behalf of the Council to respond to the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), informing them of the Council’s position in Ceredigion and of the humanitarian assistance the Council will provide. The Council will also set up a Task and Finish Group which will include relevant LSB partners, the third sector, Housing Associations and any other volunteers in order to facilitate matters.

Ceredigion County Council Leader, Councillor Ellen Ap Gwynn, stated; “Ceredigion County Council are very concerned about the plight of refugees and the unfolding tragedy affecting so many people, and have agreed to offer appropriate support wherever possible.”

Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member, Councillor Alun Williams said: “It’s really heartening to see that over the past week so many people in Ceredigion have come together to collect donations and raise money for refugees. This says a great deal about the residents of the county.”

At least 15 collection points around the county have now been set up by Ceredigion residents to collect donations of clothes and equipment. Ceredigion County Council has also agreed that the old Huw Lewis Tyre depot in Park Avenue in Aberystwyth be used as a temporary space in which to store donations collected in the county.

Councillor Ellen ap Gwynn added: “Councillors agreed on all the recommendations and discussion will now need to be had with central government regarding the costs associated with this international problem, highlighting the need for them to be fully met and funded through general taxation, and not simply passed onto shrinking local authority budgets.”

Over the past year or so, the Home Office has been operating Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (SVPRS) which aims to relocate approximately 500 vulnerable Syrian people from the region to the UK. The current conflict has forced approximately 6.5 million people from their homes, with 2.7 million people displaced to neighbouring countries. The Prime Minister David Cameron announced yesterday (Monday 7 September) that 20,000 refugees from Syria will be accepted into the UK by 2020.