Local authorities asked to house migrants/asylum seekers

[Bilbobobby]

Interesting debate taking place on the HT website about councils being asked how they would house Syrian refugees. Perhaps this forum should debate this

I'll start - totally agree each and every country and their various local councils/authorities should provide safe havens and ultimately a new life to those who are genuine refugees - big question is how do you distinguished between genuine cases and others such as economic migrants. Seeing what is happening across Europe I think thankfully we are an island and do have a chance of putting in some control measures/borders but its a major problem of these times and Europe's governments can't cope

[Roger]

We could argue until the cows come home about at which point does a genuine refugee become an economic migrant. But I suggest that if you find yourself wandering around Austria but you then frantically try to get into Germany then you are getting pretty close to it. 

 

I see Worcester Council had a well publicised debate the other day (covered live by Worcester News ~ Report here) where they agreed to take in Syrian refugees having decided against doing so in June 2015. I didn't see a well publicised debate by the same Council about the 1300 people in the Worcester area who deem themselves to be homeless. Of course not all of those are sleeping under a hedge or in a doorway but it will include sofa surfers and others reluctantly being given a roof by friends or relatives. I gather there are about 20 people actually sleeping out in the open in Worcester and all this seems to stray under the radar. 

[Adrian symonds]

We don't look after our own, so bringing more people here is not the best idea. Where our own people have been waiting for years to get a flat and our Hospital is creaking.

Also, are these people going to live by our rules and laws?  We already got ones here that want to change our laws to their religion and culture.

 

Watching the way some of them been acting, do we really want then here?

 

I do not mind helping anyone, but lets get our priorities right first.