Bridlington church leaders call on authorities to help Afghan refugees
They've written an open letter to East Riding Council and MP Sir Greg Knight
Bridlington church leaders have written an open letter for authorities to support Afghan refugees in the town.
They are calling on East Riding of Yorkshire Council and local MP Sir Greg Knight to take action in those that need help.
In the open letter, they said:
"We are calling on East Riding of Yorkshire Council to be big-hearted, ambitious, and imaginative in catering for the needs of those seeking refuge from Afghanistan, and to offer our support to you in doing this.
"We acknowledge that our area already faces some housing issues. However, as Christians and UK citizens, we feel that we have a moral duty to throw open the doors of welcome. Even though the intention of our presence in Afghanistan was to make the world a better place, we all shoulder responsibility to clear up the mess that has been left behind. In the past twenty years, servicemen from our region have served and suffered in protecting the lives of Afghan citizens. In solidarity with our brave forces, it is only right that we offer the hand of friendship to those same citizens in their desperate hour of need.
"We also call upon our local MP Sir Greg Knight, to challenge the government on its pledge to accept 20,000 refugees as part of the Afghan citizen’s resettlement scheme, when such a figure is likely to be a drop in the ocean. The refugee crisis will escalate across land borders in the months to come as people continue to flee, in fear of their lives. By setting a more realistic target, we can provide a safe haven that will lead to a better life for many more refugees. While we agree that other nations should also step in and step up their commitment to resettle Afghans, this provides a great opportunity for the UK to show the world its generosity and hospitality. We are blessed in our town with an abundance of holiday accommodation – could some of this be repurposed in the winter season?
"In years to come, when we look back at this political and humanitarian tragedy, wouldn't it be better to say that we committed fully and whole-heartedly to help the foreigner in desperate need? We believe that this is the right course of action for our county and our country to take at this time, and on behalf of the churches we represent, we would like to offer whatever assistance we can in providing food, clothing and friendship to those settling in our communities."
An East Riding of Yorkshire Council spokesperson said:
"To date, East Riding of Yorkshire Council has accommodated one family under the current Afghan Relocation Scheme. We are awaiting further guidance from Central Government on additional measures to support Afghan refugees. As part of this, the Council is working alongside all other local authorities in the region through a programme coordinated by Migration Yorkshire and is hoping to be able to offer further accommodation.
"Migration Yorkshire have developed a webpage that offers some helpful information: https://www.migrationyorkshire.org.uk/?page=supporting-afghan-people. In the East Riding there have been numerous very generous offers of support and items for the families. The Council is currently collating those offers as these will be required for the coming weeks. Any further offers of donations should be emailed to removals.assistance@eastriding.gov.uk."