Burnley to welcome Syrian refugee families

Burnley is set to welcome Syrian refugee families in the New Year.
Syrian refugees hug each other upon their arrival at Rome's Fiumicino international airport, Monday, Oct. 24, 2016. Seventy-five refugees landed at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport thanks to the "humanitarian corridor" project launched by the Rome-based Catholic Sant'Egidio Community and the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Syrian refugees hug each other upon their arrival at Rome's Fiumicino international airport, Monday, Oct. 24, 2016. Seventy-five refugees landed at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport thanks to the "humanitarian corridor" project launched by the Rome-based Catholic Sant'Egidio Community and the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Syrian refugees hug each other upon their arrival at Rome's Fiumicino international airport, Monday, Oct. 24, 2016. Seventy-five refugees landed at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport thanks to the "humanitarian corridor" project launched by the Rome-based Catholic Sant'Egidio Community and the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A number of families will be relocated to the area as Burnley Borough Council pledged to do its bit to help those in desperate need.

The council’s Executive Committee will meet in January to discuss how Burnley will play its role.

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Council leader Coun. Mark Townsend said: “We have already made a commitment that the town will play its proper part in helping resettle refugees, and will do so as part of a co-ordinated approach across Lancashire.

“This will be done in a systematic way, including by ensuring that all proper support arrangements are put in place with government support.

“The council’s Executive will consider a report next month about the details of how we participate in the Lancashire-wide programme.

“The report proposal will be that Burnley resettles a number of Syrian refugee families over the next few years, in line with the average number being resettled across the county.”

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The news comes as neighbouring Pendle Council pledged to take in ten more families by the start of the autumn school term in September 2017.

Ten small families moved to Pendle in September and November this year as part of the Syrian Resettlement Programme to help people who’ve suffered the harrowing effects of the war.

Help provided has included enrolling refugee children at schools and getting parents onto English as a Second Language courses.

Coun. Mohammed Iqbal, leader of Pendle Council, said: “We pledged our commitment to the Government to re-house up to 20 families from war-torn Syria a year ago.

“We have fulfilled half of that pledge thanks to good partnership working and a package of support for the families who came to Pendle in the autumn.”