Date announced for Elgin meeting to promote greater understanding of asylum seekers
A public forum will be held in Elgin Town Hall on Tuesday 27 June at 7pm for residents to learn more about the support being offered to asylum seekers arriving in Moray.
Elgin Community Council is hosting the information event where members of the council’s Asylum, Refugee & Resettlement Team will explain more about their role and the work of the multi-agency Moray Asylum Oversight Group.
The Home Office is using a hotel in Elgin as temporary accommodation for people awaiting the outcome of their asylum application. The council is not involved in running the site or providing day to day support, all of which is managed by the UK Government’s private contractor Mears.
The Asylum, Refugee and Resettlement Team works closely with Mears, local partners, the voluntary sector and wider community to offer assistance and wellbeing support to the individuals staying at the hotel.
Chair of Elgin Community Council, Alastair Kennedy, said: “We as a community are known for our compassion and support to those in need. We appreciate residents may have questions about the arrival in Moray of asylum seekers fleeing conflict and this is an opportunity to help people understand what is happening and how they may be able to get involved in helping individuals integrate into our community.”
Chief Executive of Moray Council, Roddy Burns, said: “We are grateful to Alastair and Elgin Community Council for offering to host the event which follows on from a presentation to community councillors by the Asylum, Refugee & Resettlement Team. We hope members of the public will come along on Tuesday night to learn more.”
The information event starts at 7pm and following a presentation by the team, there will be an open question and answer session. A frequently asked questions section is also being added to the Resettlement in Moray page on the council website.