A LOCAL authority has agreed to make up to 30 homes available for asylum seekers.

Derwentside District Council has made the promise after the North-East Consortium for Asylum Support asked 25 councils across the region to provide up to 300 homes.

But the authority has asked for assurances from the consortium and the Home Office that they will provide full support before any refugees locate to the district.

And an agreed council statement revealed the authority's worries that the refugees would be met with prejudice.

It said: "The council's cabinet was concerned that because of the recent adverse publicity over asylum seekers this could lead to prejudice from certain sections of the community and therefore make it difficult for people fleeing violence and prejudice elsewhere in the world to settle into their new accommodation."

It later added: "The cost of relocating asylum seekers is fully recoverable from the Home Office.

"In recognising that asylum seekers are not taking away much-needed resources from the community of Derwentside, hopefully the community will realise and accept our responsibility to asylum seekers who are human beings suffering from severe difficulties in their countries of origin."

Local authorities will be allowed a large degree of discretion in finding suitable accommodation. The police, health authorities, Government Office North-East and voluntary organisations across the region have supported the call to provide the homes.

Derwentside District Council's ruling cabinet committee agreed in principle to accommodate the refugees last week.

The authority hit the headlines last year when it moved to distance itself from a spoof letter circulated in the area.

The letter, claiming to be from the housing department, said council tenants would have to find room for Asian families in their own homes.

The racist letter was passed to police after people accepted it at face value and complained to the council.