Aberdeenshire Partnership Lead on Commitment to Ukrainian Refugees
>> 9 March 2022
At a meeting of the Aberdeenshire full council today, the opposition Partnership group led a Notice of Motion to reaffirm the commitment of Aberdeenshire to the resettlement of refugees, in light of the humanitarian crisis of those forced to flee from the war in Ukraine.
The motion was proposed by Cllr Gwyneth Petrie, seconded by Cllr Alison Evison, and received unanimous support from all Councillors present.
Commenting, Leader of the Partnership group, Cllr Gwyneth Petrie, said:
“We have all watched in horror as the events in Ukraine have unfolded over the last two weeks, and the impact of the illegal invasion of the country are all too apparent.
“It has now been confirmed that over two million people have fled Ukraine, and yet by this morning, only 760 visas have been issued for some of these people to enter the UK. This simply isn’t good enough, and the UK Government must do more, and do it more quickly, to address this growing humanitarian crisis.
“Aberdeenshire has a strong record on welcoming refugees, and I very much appreciate the unanimous support of fellow Councillors for this motion today.
“We stand ready to support and welcome those who have made that unimaginably difficult decision to leave their homes in Ukraine, and we extend the hand of friendship to them."
“It has now been confirmed that over two million people have fled Ukraine, and yet by this morning, only 760 visas have been issued for some of these people to enter the UK. This simply isn’t good enough, and the UK Government must do more, and do it more quickly, to address this growing humanitarian crisis.
“Aberdeenshire has a strong record on welcoming refugees, and I very much appreciate the unanimous support of fellow Councillors for this motion today.
“We stand ready to support and welcome those who have made that unimaginably difficult decision to leave their homes in Ukraine, and we extend the hand of friendship to them."
Cllr Alison Evison, Deputy Leader of the Partnership group, added:
“In 2015, Aberdeenshire Councillors unanimously agreed to support a refugee resettlement scheme.
"Now there is an overwhelming need for our council to step up and do more and it was good to see our motion today agreed unanimously. We reached out collectively in support and solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
"I hope that our statement today will help make a difference to current UK Government policy. Many of those leaving Ukraine are women and children and we must be aware of the particular dangers they face and do all we can to help them reach safety.
"So much could be done to help those fleeing if the expertise in councils such as ours was recognised, built upon and resourced."
"Now there is an overwhelming need for our council to step up and do more and it was good to see our motion today agreed unanimously. We reached out collectively in support and solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
"I hope that our statement today will help make a difference to current UK Government policy. Many of those leaving Ukraine are women and children and we must be aware of the particular dangers they face and do all we can to help them reach safety.
"So much could be done to help those fleeing if the expertise in councils such as ours was recognised, built upon and resourced."
The wording of motion is as follows:
“That Aberdeenshire Council reaffirms the commitment it made in September 2015 to actively support the resettlement of refugees. The Council expresses its full support and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and our peers in local and regional government and will contribute actively to a formal Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement Scheme. Moreover, if demand for resettlement exceeds existing council commitments, we resolve to increase our commitment appropriately.”
