Coventry Council says other towns and cities should be forced to take in refugeesCoventry City Council have demanded that other local authorities in the country are forced to take in Syrian refugees.
Councillors almost unanimously called on the Prime Minister Theresa May to make it impossible for other councils to shy away from taking in those fleeing the conflict in Syria.
Members voted on the issue during a full council meeting on Tuesday when Labour Coun Abdul Khan, deputy leader, put forward a motion which insisted other local authorities should be made to follow Coventry’s lead and that there should be a timetable for when refugees should be taken in.
Coun Khan said: “This country is failing in its moral duty to help Syrian refugees and help them to raise their families free from terror.
“Coventry has lived up to its title as a city of sanctuary by re-homing 105 refugees, the largest number in the country.
“We believe it is right to help those in need and we are very proud for the way our residents have made them feel at home and part of our communities.”
Coun Khan said only one in six local authorities had re-homed refugees and that insisted this was “simply not good enough”.
He added: “There’s no excuse for councils, wherever they are in the UK, to not take Syrian refugees.
“If councils don’t enjoy diverse communities, it’s about time they did so.”
Conservative leader John Blundell put forward a motion asking for the call for compulsory quotas and time tables to be removed, insisting that the fact councils were re-homing refugees voluntarily was the best approach.
The numbers given by Coun Khan were also disputed by Coun Blundell who said 118 out of 160 local authorities had actually agreed to take Syrian refugees and a government target of 20,000 had already been met.
He said: “I’m very proud that Coventry is a pioneer of taking Syrian refugees, that’s something I would commend.
“The government is fulfilling its duty and there’s no need for the demand to the prime minister.
“By and large the British people have fulfilled the promise that the government made.”
Labour Coun Ann Lucas said that councillors had received hate mail as a result of the city’s policy to re-home Syrian refugees.
She said: “There were words that even I didn’t know existed, but what struck me was that the messages were filled with misinformation.
“Refugees are “some of the most damaged people you will ever find. While they’re here, let’s make them welcome.”