The possibility of Bath and North East Somerset Council participating in the Government Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme was discussed at a full Council meeting last night.
The original motion, which was proposed by the Labour Group, called for the Council to look into welcoming 50 people.
However it has now been heavily amended by a Conservative proposal, resulting in a call for the Council to merely explore the issue.
Councillor Shaun McGall (Oldfield, Liberal Democrats) commented: “I feel that it would be right for us, in Bath and North East Somerset, to volunteer to play our own small part in helping to resettle refugees from war torn Syria.
“However it does seem unlikely that this discussion will go anywhere. The government scheme in question is very limited and it is unlikely any refugees will eventually come to B&NES.
“Bath and the surrounding area has a long tradition of welcoming refugees going back hundreds of years, including Haile Selassie I, Polish people in Wiltshire during World War Two and the origins of Bath’s twinning association with Alkmaar, in the Netherlands.
I believe that this is a question moral compass, political will and priorities as elected local councillors; we can do more to house BOTH our local residents AND a few dozen Syrian refugees.”
The administration will report back on their investigations into the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme at full Council in September thanks to an amendment proposed by Councillor McGall.
