Gwynedd Council pledges to help with resettlement of Afghan refugees

Gwynedd Council has pledged to help with the resettlement of Afghan refugees.

International troops have been withdrawing from Afghanistan in recent months after maintaining a presence in the country for 20 years.

But over the last few weeks the Taliban has taken control of towns and cities across the country, before arriving at Kabul, the country’s capital, just days ago.

Thousands of people have already fled the country, with many more attempting to leave in the last few days.

In response to the current situation, Gwynedd Council said it had been working hard behind the scenes to provide a home for individuals fleeing the country.

With two people already housed in the county, the local authority is also committed to housing more individuals in the coming weeks.

Gwynedd Council’s leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, said: “The images emerging from Afghanistan at the moment are tragic, and we, as a council, are committed to doing everything within our power and resources we have available to provide refugees with a home, and support for them to resettle within their new communities.

“We have been working with the Home Office for some weeks to accelerate our plans to house Afghan refugees following recent developments in the country.”

The council is working with private landlords and hopes to work with housing associations to provide the homes.

It has a team of staff who co-ordinate the work, as well as working with the refugees and providing them with support to resettle.

Councillor Siencyn added: “We want to take every possible opportunity to help our fellow humans in crisis, which is what we are doing here, hoping to offer refugees in need a better life while they cannot remain in their homeland.”