MORE than sixty Syrian refugees have now been resettled into North Ayrshire.

Eleven Syrian families, consisting of 63 individuals, have been successfully resettled, with the local authority now more than half way through fulfilling its 100 within five years promise.

Council leader Joe Cullinane told the Irvine Times he was proud those fleeing war and persecution have been welcomed into our area.

He said: “I have met with some of the families and their gratitude towards their neighbours and the council staff who support them is very evident.

"They have felt welcomed and enjoy living in North Ayrshire. They feel like they have been given a second chance at life and want to contribute to our communities.

“In particular I am proud at how quickly we acted to support unaccompanied children left in containers following the clearance of the ‘Jungle’ in Calais."

Late last year the council used emergency powers to agree to provide homes for six ‘unaccompanied asylum seeking children’ after an urgent request from Cosla to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Calais.

Five young people arrived on November 30 and are being looked after and accommodated by the Council’s Health and Social Care Partnership.

Council leader Cullinane added: “As soon as we were asked to help we agreed to do so without hesitation. Our swift action meant that we were the first local authority in Scotland to provide a home for children left in Calais.

"It has since been great to hear how well they are doing at school and in the community. I only wish that the UK Government, and indeed every other local authority, stepped up and took more decisive action." 

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “In September 2015, North Ayrshire Council made a humanitarian commitment to support the resettlement and integration of 100 refugees into local communities.

“As of February 2017, 11 Syrian families (63 individuals) have been successfully resettled into North Ayrshire.

“To support this pledge, North Ayrshire Council have received Home Office grant funding to support the initial provision of accommodation / housing support, English for Speakers of Other Languages tuition, Health and Educational services.

“The council, alongside partner agencies, will continue to provide robust resettlement and ongoing support packages to Syrian families as they arrive.”

“In November 2016, North Ayrshire Council responded to an urgent request to provide a place of safety for vulnerable children from Calais.

“Their needs have been assessed and the appropriate support is in place which is helping them settle into the community.

“The Council and partners have worked closely with all the families to help them build new lives in North Ayrshire.

“Most of them have very little English or none at all so a lot of work is carried out by team to help them settle and integrate with the community.”