The number of refugees who are given homes in North Yorkshire looks set to fall, partly due to pressures on housing.
The leaders of North Yorkshire’s seven district councils and county council will consider lowering the target for resettling refugees from the average 150 people, or 30 families, it provided homes for between 2016 and 2018, many of whom were Syrian.
A report to the Local Government North Yorkshire and York committee states the number of refugees worldwide is calculated to be the highest ever at 25.9 million and since 2017 refugees have made up almost one per cent of the global population for the first time in modern history.
Due to housing supply pressures and other local authority housing commitments, including duties introduced under The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, it has been proposed to introduce “a more conservative target” of 50 refugees per year.
The report states 50 people being resettled in North Yorkshire each year from 2020/21 to 2023/24 would equate to one per cent of the envisaged national programme of 5,000 people per year, while the county’s population is just under one per cent of the UK population.
If the recommendation is approved 30 people would be resettled in Hambleton, 52 in Harrogate, 17 in Richmondshire, 18 in Ryedale, 35 in Scarborough and 29 in Selby district.
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