Title

WHITEHALL

Government committed to settling refugees 'as quickly as possible'

The Government said it was fully committed to settling Syrian refugees ‘as quickly as possible’ following a meeting with local authority leaders on Friday.

The Government said it was fully committed to settling Syrian refugees ‘as quickly as possible' following a meeting with local authority leaders on Friday.

However, a statement said it was ‘too early to speculate on when the numbers arriving would start to rise'.

Home secretary Theresa May is expected to give a further update on the situation this week.

The first meeting of the Syrian resettlement taskforce followed a surge in local authorities pledging to support refugees.

David Simmonds, from the Local Government Association, said councils wanted reassurance that long-term plans were in place to help people.

‘This is not just about money in the short-term but that resources are going to be there so that families and children are properly supported,' he said.

‘They need to be able to integrate into life in the UK and think about their education, their work opportunities and their housing opportunities.'

In one of the latest offers of support Edinburgh City Council said it would house 100 Syrian refugees over the next 12 months.

It said the commitment was in response to the ‘humanitarian crisis' across Europe as refugees continued to arrive from the war-torn Middle East.

WHITEHALL

EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall 'exploring' using AI to help intervention decisions

By Dan Peters | 07 October 2026

Whitehall is ‘exploring’ the use of AI to help assess councils against the key risk indicators for intervention, The MJ has learnt.

WHITEHALL

EXCLUSIVE: Work on Whitehall tensions tool slows under Burnham

By Dan Peters | 07 October 2026

Work on a Whitehall tool to track community tensions has slowed since the change of Prime Minister, The MJ understands.

WHITEHALL

Devolution's next challenge: Building capable places

By Thomas Johnson | 07 October 2026

Thomas Johnson looks at what Greater Manchester’s experience suggests about the next stage of devolution and rewiring the state.

WHITEHALL

LGR pause could leave local authority staff in a state of flux

By Matthew Gregson | 06 October 2026

Matthew Gregson says that amid the uncertainty around reorganisation, council leadership needs to be receptive to the needs of their employees while showing ...

Popular articles by Mark Whitehead

-->