The leader of Harrogate council has pledged that the borough will help house Afghan refugees who are fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover.
Conservative Cllr Richard Cooper said the refugees are “in need of and deserve our assistance” as he pledged his support to a new government scheme to welcome up to 20,000 Afghans over the next few years.
His pledge comes after the council offered resettlement to 19 Afghans in June under a similar scheme which targeted former translators and others who worked for the UK military during the two decades that it has been fighting in Afghanistan.
Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Cooper said this was the “right, humane and just thing to do”.
He said:
“Back in June, Harrogate Borough Council pledged to take its fair share of the quota of Afghan interpreters who were seeking relocation to this country.
“We not only did that – we pledged to take more than our quota and we have done so.
“The government will now be coming forward with a new scheme for relocating Afghan refugees and on behalf of the council I want to make that pledge again that we will not only take our quota that the government suggests, but we will take more.
“Harrogate is a welcoming, tolerant and diverse place and these people are in need of our assistance and deserve our assistance.”
In June, senior Harrogate borough councillors agreed to offer resettlement to 19 Afghans, which amounts to four families.
The Harrogate district has previously taken part in other resettlement programmes, including welcoming 13 Syrian families between 2016 and 2017.
Read more:
- 19 Afghans get homes in Harrogate district in resettlement scheme
- North Yorkshire to rehome eight Afghan families
Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at the council, said the families are not only offered a place to live, but also given opportunities to go to school, learn English and find employment.
He added that the authority would be prepared to resettle more families if it was required to do so.
Meanwhile, eight families are expected to be resettled across North Yorkshire under the same scheme.
Nationally, more than 3,000 Afghans are expected to be allowed to settle in the UK, joining 1,300 who have already done so.
