Crisis talks in Dumfries and Galloway as region prepares to welcome Ukrainian refugees

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Crisis talks were held in Dumfries today as the region prepares to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing war in their homeland.The multi-agency Resettlement Project Board will focus on helping the new arrivals settle in with local families putting them up under the UK Government’s new Homes for Ukraine scheme.Stakeholders Dumfries and Galloway Council, the NHS, DGHP, Police Scotland and the Scottish Refugee Council were expected to attend the summit.The board has already helped dozens of Afghani and Syrian families settle here – and now chairperson Liz Manson is determined to ensure the Ukrainians and their hosts get the backing they need.She said: “We are meeting to talk about the implications for our region of the UK Government’s scheme to pay households £350 per month to provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees.“We want to make sure there’s information available to people in Dumfries and Galloway interested in participating and to provide appropriate support for them and the families.”By yesterday morning, 122,000 UK residents had declared an interest in the Homes for Ukraine initiative which matches up refugees with sponsor households.Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are expected to be staying with their sponsor hosts for free within weeks.Ukrainian arrivals in Dumfries and Galloway could increase if Scottish Government proposals to become a “super sponsor” of displaced persons are accepted.According to Ms Manson, who is the council’s planning and engagement manager, it is impossible to predict how many refugees could come to the region.She said: “Talks are taking place between the Scottish and UK governments to gather that intelligence and we are in contact with them.