Councils ‘running out of money’ to guarantee 20,000 Syrian refugees ‘can settle in the UK’ by 2020, MPs fear
New Commons report voices concerns from cash-strapped local authorities that the £8,250 of funding allocated per refugee is not enough to provide specialist support needed
COUNCILS are running out of money to guarantee 20,000 Syrian refugees can settle in the UK – MPs claimed.
A hard-hitting report said local authorities may not have sufficient funding to cover the “support and services” such as schooling and housing.
The claim is set to spark yet more demands for the £12 billion overseas aid budget to be slashed – so more money can be spent at home.
Ex-PM David Cameron vowed to house 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK by the end of 2020.
In a report last night, the Public Accounts Commons Committee said the Government was making progress. But it said meeting the promise in full would be a “significant challenge”.
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It claimed some local authorities were concerned the funding of £8,250 per refugee in the first year was nowhere near enough. And it warned Syrian torture survivors may not be receiving the specialist support they need.
More than half of the 2,659 Syrian refugees resettled so far in the UK are thought to be survivors of torture or violence.
PAC chair Meg Hillier said: “It is important to recognise the efforts and achievements of those bodies involved in the early part of this programme.
“But there is a long way to go.”
