The leader of Edinburgh Council has warned that public services, including schools, could be overwhelmed when Ukrainian refugees move to a cruise ship in Leith.
The Scottish Government-chartered MS Victoria can house up to 2,000 people, although is expected to home far less. Cammy Day says council staff and senior leaders are worried they will not be able to cope in the surge of services required for the new residents.
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The cruise ship docked in Leith two weeks ago to house up to 2500 refugees who have fled Vladimir Putin’s troops. It is understood the local authority was informed, rather than consulted, about the decision to base the vessel in their area.
The Daily Record reports that city council leader Cammy Day said there was currently “no solution” to many of the problems, including school places for the estimated hundreds of children seeking education when term starts next month.
He stressed that dedicated staff were working “extremely hard” to help all those who needed assistance but there were no extra resources to cover the additional workload.
The Labour councillor said: “In terms of the support services for people who have come from a war zone, the requirement for jobs and schooling for young people needs urgent attention from a senior level in government because we don’t have a solution to that.”
Most of those who are coming to Scotland are women, children and elderly people as men aged 18 to 60 are barred from leaving the country under martial law. If the vessel in Leith is even half-full, this could result in hundreds of young people looking for school places which aren’t available.
A source with knowledge of the operation to house the refugees in Leith said there had been problems with staff visas for some people working on the MS Victoria. They arrived in Scotland last weekend but did not have the appropriate clearance, it is understood.
The Home Office issued visa waivers for the staff on Thursday – five days after their arrival – but no refugees have been housed on the vessel yet. Day said: “The delays in issuing visa waivers has been a problem from the UK Government.“The communication at a very senior level has to be improved to ensure we can do the best we can to provide accommodation and appropriate support services for people coming from Ukraine.” The Home Office was asked about the visas but did not respond.
Tallink, the Estonian firm which owns the vessel, said it had provided technical staff including a captain, chief officers, deck and engine crew, who all had the correct permits to work on board.
However, a spokeswoman said that service staff in restaurants and shops are not Tallink employees. Day added: “It’s not ideal. We need the UK and Scottish Governments to be working much more effectively together and with the council to get the solutions for Ukrainians coming to Edinburgh.”
Under the Ukrainian refugee super-sponsor scheme, which was launched in March, displaced Ukrainians applying for a UK visa could select the Scottish Government as a sponsor.
After the Home Office approved an application, the refugee could travel to Scotland, where they would be paired with a host family. So far, 6163 of a total of 9000 Ukrainians who have arrived in Scotland have found homes under the scheme.
However, earlier this month the Government announced Scotland was pausing the scheme for three months as it didn’t have enough suitable accommodation.
It also announced it would be bringing in the private cruise ship as a short-term solution, contracting it for six months. A total of 35,000 Ukrainians have applied for a visa under the super-sponsor scheme, with 23,811 visas now issued.
Holyrood ministers confirmed that all those who had been granted a visa before the scheme was paused would still be eligible to come to Scotland. Last week the Sunday Mail told how one family living in a hotel in Glasgow were concerned for their future after having to move between hotels every few days.
Hundreds of refugees across Scotland are in the same situation, with thousands also being matched with host families. The Scottish Government said that once the necessary preparations had been completed on board the cruise ship, displaced people from Ukraine will start arriving as soon as possible.
It insisted the MS Victoria would provide fully staffed, safe, suitable and sustainable accommodation for as long as it was required. The government also stressed it was working closely with the council umbrella body COSLA and local authorities to ensure a national approach to supporting displaced people from Ukraine.
A spokesman insisted there was a tried and tested approach to integrating refugees and displaced people into communities across the country, as well as into schools and workplaces.
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