THE Government has thanked the Bradford district for taking in another 82 refugees from war-torn Syria this year.

Bradford was one of the first authorities to start taking in refugees, and had already rehomed 106 Syrians the previous year.

New figures show the UK resettled 4,162 Syrian refugees in the year to September, with 403 of them being housed in Yorkshire.

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill said: “The support of Bradford and other local authorities has been paramount in helping us resettle so many vulnerable people who have fled conflict. The humanitarian crisis in Syria is unprecedented which is why we decided to undertake one of the largest resettlement schemes in the UK’s history.

“The hard work will continue throughout this Parliament as we provide those who have been traumatised and damaged by war with a safe environment and the chance to rebuild their lives.”

The resettlement scheme is voluntary, but so far 157 local authorities have offered places, with the government’s overseas aid budget funding the refugees’ first year of resettlement.

A Government spokesman said there was a strong emphasis on helping refugees integrate, with authorities also given an extra £10m in English language funding.

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