Community organisations and individuals invited to Town Hall
Ealing will hold a special meeting next week to co-ordinate the borough’s response to the Syrian refugee cris
It will be held on Wednesday, 20 January at Ealing Town Hall from 6pm. Among the organisations who will be attending are: North West London Citizens; Barwaqa Relief Organisation; Ealing CVS; Centre for Armenian Information & Advice; Ealing Advice Forum; Southall Black Sisters; Penny Appeal; and Khadeejah Welfare Foundation.
Ealing was one of the first local authorities in the country to come forward to pledge its help to Syrian people fleeing the war-torn country.
At the end of November, the government provided more details about its resettlement scheme, through which the UK will provide asylum for up to 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees. This included a promise to extend funding for refugees beyond the initial year.
Since agreeing to participate in the government’s scheme the council has been working with officials to understand what support would need to be in place before people can be settled, the process for placing people in the borough and the funding available to councils.
At the summit the council will set out how it plans to welcome refugees, as well as collecting pledges of support and assistance from the local community.
Councillor Julian Bell, leader of the council, said: “I know that local people will be as shocked as I have been by the scale of this humanitarian crisis and the misery that is being endured by Syrian refugees.
“Ealing has a proud history of taking refugees, so I wanted to host this summit to bring the community and council together to make sure that we work together to welcome people with open arms.
“I’m therefore not surprised that I’ve been contacted by a number of community groups and individuals that are willing to help refugees and who have pledged to attend the summit. I would encourage any groups or individuals who believe they can help to join us.”
12th January 2016