In September 2015 the Government committed to resettling up to 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK. We pledged to resettle six families in the Vale.
Any refugee family arriving in the UK requires intensive support from the moment they get here. They have no possessions or financial resources and many also do not speak English.
To ensure families moving to the Vale were able to quickly settle here we worked with the British Red Cross to provide a suitable environment with access to a support network.
This weekend BBC Sunday Politics featured the story of one family who have settled in Abingdon – the piece starts at 51mins.
Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council said: “When a family arrives in the UK, it is vital that they are resettled into a suitable environment and with the support they need to adapt to life here. That means finding appropriate private rented accommodation, arranging health and education, and providing translation and language services as well as ongoing support. However, it is often the little things, the tasks that people take for granted, such as organising bus passes to ensure the family can get to local services, which are most important.
“I’m very proud of the support that we and British Red Cross have provided for the families. Voluntary groups and residents across the Vale have also been very supportive, offering donations and welcoming the families to the local area and helping to make them feel a part of the Vale community.”