Refugees in a camp on the Turkish/Syrian border. Inset: Cllr Leeming

A Preston councillor is calling on the government to do more to help take in refugees.

St Matthews councillor Roy Leeming has tabled a motion at the next full council meeting.

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In it he says more resources should be given to local authorities to take in a greater number of refugees.

Cllr Leeming writes: “I call on the coucil to call on the government to allocate resources to local authorities beyond the proposed one year period so that they may help to accommodate and integrate refugees into the local community.

“Commit to ensuring that refugees are welcomed in the city and help facilitate this process in Preston, by working with local services and volunteers to meet such needs as housing, legal advice, trauma-recovery support and help to find jobs and education opportunities.”

He goes on to say Preston City Council should write to the government and urge it to increase the number of refugees being taken in by the UN Gateway Reducation Programme.

The motion comes after a protest was held on Saturday in Preston city centre calling for no more refugees to be taken in.

A counter protest, against the far-right groups, was also held.

Cllr Leeming’s motion is due to be discussed at a full meeting of the city council from 2pm on Thursday.

Do you think Preston can take more refugees? Let us know in the comments below