New figures reveal Yorkshire has welcome thousands of refugees in recent years

Home Office figures show 2,624 people have moved to the region since 2014, via the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme and the UK Resettlement Scheme.

Bradford has welcomed more refugees (635) than any other council in the region.

According to the figures, more than 15,000 have resettled in England, while Scotland has welcomed 3,623, Northern Ireland has taken in 1,816 and Wales has accepted 1,447.

In England, the North East recorded the highest resettlement rate as it has taken in 70 refugees per 100,000 people in the local population, while London has the lowest (13 refugees per 100,000 people).

Migration Yorkshire works with councils in the region to determine which ones have the capacity and resources to accept people who have fled violence or persecution in their home countries.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Migration Yorkshire has been working to help dozens of refugee families who have arrived in the UK via two Government schemes and councils in the region have agreed to take in between 55 and 75 families.

The Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is for those who supported British forces over the last 20 years, and the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme (ACRS), which is for those who are identified as most at risk.

The Government has announced anyone who is resettled by these schemes will be allowed to remain in the UK indefinitely and £12m has been provided to ensure children can receive an education.

David Brown, head of Migration Yorkshire, said: “We always respond well here in Yorkshire when there is a humanitarian crisis and want to act quickly helping people to rebuild their lives as soon as possible.

“Up to now councils have wanted to do their ‘fair share’ in line with the overall population size for their area.

“All 15 councils in Yorkshire and Humber have signed up to welcoming Afghan families, but until they get the full details from Government, they can’t make that final decision on numbers.

“I would like to see all other regions make the commitment we’ve made, to do the right thing, take our fair share, get on with it and help people to integrate into our local communities.”