HUNDREDS of Syrian refugees who have fled the war-torn country could be given sanctuary in North Yorkshire.

District councillors in Richmondshire will debate whether to help refugees who have arrived in the UK looking to make a new life for themselves tomorrow (Tuesday, November 10) evening.

A report put before councillors recommends the council takes part in the North Yorkshire Refugee Resettlement Programme which would see the county as a whole take around 200 refugees, with between 16 and 30 resettled in Richmondshire.

The proposal comes after the Prime Minister announced in September that the UK would accept up to 20,000 Syrian refugees from refugee camps in

countries neighbouring Syria over the course of the current parliament.

The report states that there is public support for resettling Syrian refugees and all North Yorkshire authorities had agreed to play their part.

However it adds: "Given the implications associated with the resettlement of refugees, this is not something that can be entered into lightly or something an individual local authority can do in isolation.

"If refugees are to be resettled locally it is essential that they are given the support they need.

"In addition, given the financial pressures on local authorities and the existing local demand on services, we need to fully understand the resource implications before any firm commitments can be made to government in terms of numbers."

Officials say the Home Office pays a grant per person to local authorities accepting refugees under a resettlement programme.

This covers the costs of support including ‘induction’ costs, initial accommodation costs, and health and social care costs.

Richmondshire councillors will be asked to agree that the authority works in partnership with the other North Yorkshire councils to develop a joint North Yorkshire response to the Government’s request for help for Syrian refugees.

The report recommends that the authority defers a decision on taking part in a separate project, the National Asylum Seeker Dispersal Scheme.

This scheme provides short-term hostel-style accommodation for asylum seekers, but it is thought the nature of the property market in North Yorkshire means there is limited opportunity to help.