ALMOST 160 refugees have been settled in Bradford over the past seven months, according to new figures.

Bradford Council leader David Green today said there were now about 158 refugees living in the district under a national scheme.

In September 2015, the Telegraph & Argus reported how 52 adult and 54 child refugees from Syria had been moved to Bradford as part of the Government's Vulnerable Person’s Relocation Scheme.

Councillor Green said another 50 refugees had since come to the city, and he was expecting more.

"We have about 158 Syrian refugees in Bradford and are expecting more in the future, but we will only take the number we can support and we will not offer sanctuary to people when we cannot offer them what they need, otherwise it will be a negative for the community.

"The UK has always sought to support refugees, and we are part of the government's scheme to help relocate refugees.

"But we have always made it clear that we will only take the number of refugees that we can support, and we will not offer sanctuary to people when we cannot offer them what they need, such as private housing and school places nearby.

"Otherwise, it will be a negative in the community both for the refugees and the other residents.

"We have to be very careful about what we do for the Bradford community and for the refugees, because we want to make sure they get the support they need and deserve."

Cllr Green said people should not be opposed to Syrian refugees coming to the city to escape civil war in their home country.

"Bradford is a city built on immigration going back hundreds of years and we will continue working with all communities to make sure we welcome people to our city," he said.

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Cllr Green was speaking at the unveiling of a patchwork banner, made by children in Bradford and Syrian refugees in Jordan, at City Hall.

He praised the work of Bradford-based charity Human Relief Foundation, which unveiled the artwork, for the work being done by young people in the city.

"By getting young people involved it is raising awareness of what is happening in the world and helping them to understand the effect of war and conflict, raising their eyes from their local districts to see what they can do to help in the wider world," Cllr Green said.