LOCAL authorities in Gloucestershire have been thanked for their role in the resettling of Syrian refugees.

It follows the publication of new government figures which show that the county has resettled 62 Syrian refugees out of 261 resettled in the South West under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPR) since last year.

The UK, as a whole, has resettled 4,162 Syrian refugees in the period up to September 2016.

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill said: “The support of Gloucestershire’s 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.”

Gloucestershire has housed Syrian refugees with support from central government, which fully funds the first year of resettlement using the overseas aid budget.

The scheme is voluntary, but so far 175 local authorities have offered places.

In September last year, the government expanded the scheme to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians by the end of this Parliament in 2020.

It has already exceeded its target for the first year and has secured 20,000 pledges from local authorities across the country.

To improve integration of those who have been resettled, the government has provided local authorities with an additional £10million in English language funding in order to help the Syrian families find work, gain independence and give back to the communities that welcomed them in.