Child migrants from Calais Jungle 'welcome' in West Midlands, say councils
Councils across the West Midlands are preparing to welcome children from the Calais Jungle.
Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall councils have all confirmed they would be happy to welcome the young migrants who make the journey to the UK to be reunited with family members.
Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy was instrumental in the battle to bring the children to the UK.
Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: "The Government has announced it is speeding up actions to accept children from the migrant camps in Calais and councils have been put on stand-by to expect their arrival at short notice. Initially these will be children who have relatives living here in the UK.
"Our children's services will be working with the Home Office over the coming weeks to help identify and support any unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Calais who have links with Staffordshire. This is separate and in addition to the refugee families from the Syrian Refugee Camps we have also resettled in the county this year.
"The number of children being left stranded as they make their way across Europe is truly shocking. In Staffordshire alone we are already caring for 78 unaccompanied minors who have arrived in the county and we are also assessing a further six young people found in the county in the last few days.
"As well as offering immediate help to these young people, more also needs to be done to help discourage migrant families from setting out on this perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Calais in the first place."
Councillor Val Gibson, Wolverhampton council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Councils, including Wolverhampton, are on stand-by to receive unaccompanied children from the migrant camp in Calais.
"We understand that initially these will be children who have relatives in the UK and, if required, the council will work with the Home Office to help identify and support any unaccompanied children in Calais who may have links with the Wolverhampton area."
A spokesman for Walsall council confirmed that the borough had not yet received any child migrants, although it was ready to welcome them.
Sandwell council said it has not received any children into its care who have arrived from Calais but would also welcome them.
A handful of unaccompanied child refugees have already arrived in Birmingham in the last two days.
One such arrival is the teenage refugee who moved Lily Allen to tears, who has been reunited with his father.
Shamsher Sherin joined his asylum seeker father Hazrat Gul Sherin, 49, who sneaked into the UK 11 years ago, leaving his family behind in war-torn Afghanistan.