This afternoon I joined Juliet Browse and Jayne Chapman from Ely Calais Refugee Action at one of the group’s collection points at Stretham to see just a small part of the amazing generosity of East Cambridgeshire residents towards the refugees fleeing conflict in Syria.
Local people have made a wide variety of donations, from toothpaste to tents and from golf clubs to bicycles – so much so that the group has had to call a temporary halt to donations to give them the opportunity to sort through what has been provided so far. One kind resident in the district has offered his ‘man and a van’ services to take the items donated to a collection point in London.
Meanwhile, donations of money can still be made to CalAid. And if you’re on Facebook, Ely Calais Refugee Action group has a Facebook group with over 600 local members already.
I’ve asked the district council a series of questions in the last few days about its intentions regarding the refugee crisis, and whether it is proposing to join other councils in offering assistance. And I’ve already been asked by a couple of East Cambs residents how they go about offering a spare room to a refugee. If that is something you are considering doing, you can contact the council’s housing team via the main switchboard 01353 665555 – they can offer free landlord advice and information.
Just read “Focus” the Sutton newsletter, in it you mention speaking to the M.O.D. re properties in Ely for refugees/economic migrants. Its a shame you didnt include mentioning this in your note about affordable housing and the fact that theres a thousand people on the council waiting list. As a “local” councillor i would have hoped the local populace would be the priority.
Hi, Garry. Governments over the decades haven’t built enough houses: we need far more homes to cope with the ageing population, the tendency to smaller families and more people living on their own. We need houses to buy at affordable prices, and houses at an affordable rent. Unfortunately, government actions have tended to make things worse not better – from the sell-off of council houses in the 1980s, to the recent announcement by George Osborne of rent cuts which experts say will mean housing associations building 30,000 fewer homes than they otherwise would.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t live up to our obligation to help those in desperate straits in Syria. The UK government is taking a shamefully tiny proportion of those in need, whose homes, towns and villages are in ruins – as a result in part of cack-handed intervention by the western powers.
I notice you make no mention of the raised statement It appears that you are more concerned with economic migrants having accommodation than locals. Also what about our armed service men and women surely they should be a priority for the M.O.D. You are a local councillor reoprting in a local newsletter i would suggest local issues are those you prioritise. Any personal charitable issues you have should be just that personal.
Hi, Garry. As I’ve already said, we need housing for those already on the waiting list, and for the next generation, and that concerns me very greatly. I’ve gone on record at the district council calling for the council to meet its commitments to affordable housing in East Cambridgeshire and that’s something I feel very strongly about.
Local councils have been approached by the government, and by the Local Government Association in the East of England, to assist with housing refugees from war-torn Syria. I’ve also been approached as a local councillor by local residents asking what the council is doing to help – which was what I was reporting back on.
Veterans are already given priority for social housing.