A top Dunblane hotel is doing its bit to help settle refugees fleeing the Ukraine conflict after answering a call for support.
Dunblane Hydro has given up 31 rooms to help out as part of ‘contingency accommodation’ in Stirling, as pressures at a temporary hub in Edinburgh force ministers to look for support in hosting from other local authorities.
The information has been revealed as councillors received an update on the efforts to resettle Ukrainian refugees in Stirling at a full meeting yesterday (Thursday), with almost 250 people in the region now having signed up to host visitors.
As part of the Scottish Government’s ‘Super Sponsor’ scheme, welcome hubs have been set up at key points across Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dumfries and Galloway.
However, with the temporary hub in the capital filling up fast, ministers have approached councils to source hotels and other accommodation spaces to act as overflow spaces for those arriving through Edinburgh.
The council agreed plans for Dunblane Hydro to receive Ukrainian guests at the site from May 30, with Stirling Council currently looking after 43 guests at the hotel as of June 13, including families and children.
The report also reveals the numbers aiming to host refugees in their own homes across the region, as well as the measures being taken by council officers to match up sponsors and those they wish to take in.
It reveals that 48 people in Stirling have signed up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme, sponsored by the UK Government, with all of these now having started the process of going through the necessary disclosure checks.
Meanwhile, the council has also begun the process of contacting the 188 locals who have signed up via the Scottish Government scheme - with officers assessing the ‘weight’ of pressure on services in various areas as part of that process.
The process used by the council will firstly prioritise sponsors who have offered to host families and children, with school catchment areas then being factored in to ensure kids are not being placed in areas of limited capacity.
The report also recognises the frustrations aired by some sponsors in the area about the apparently slow speed of matching up sponsor households with refugee families.
It says: “This approach allows us to make use of local data to prioritise guests arriving with children, and makes best use of the finite resources the council has in meeting our duties under this scheme in a reasonable timeframe.
“Nonetheless, we do anticipate that some sponsors may be frustrated at being asked to wait for a short period before we can fulfil the process that allows them to be matched.
Though the resettlement of Ukrainian people hinges on the compassion and goodwill of Stirling’s sponsors, the council’s obligations must first and foremost focus on the needs of Ukrainian guests.”
