THERE is hope again that Crediton could host a Syrian refugee family after Mid Devon District Council (MDDC) has had a change of heart.

A woman from Bradninch who was in the process of buying a house for a Syrian refugee family last week expressed her shock after she was told that Mid Devon District Council, with whom she had been working to provide a home for such a family, did not have capacity to support her plan and wanted to pull out of the project.

Anthea Duquemin said that this was after a Mid Devon District Council representative had visited the home she was in the process of buying.

It was after her mother’s death that she had been left money in the will unexpectedly and she then decided to use it to buy a house in Crediton, where a family could be homed under the government’s Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).

MDDC approved her choice of house and she went ahead with the purchase - set to be completed by the end of the month - only for the council to withdraw from the project.

Ms Duquemin said she "could not believe it".

She said: “I was totally totally shocked and I had to ask them to put it in writing to me because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

"Mid Devon Council made a commitment to contribute to the government’s scheme by supporting up to five families."

In a statement MDDC issued last week, the council said it would discuss the matter at a meeting of the council’s Homes Policy Development Group, which took place on Tuesday, June 18.

Gerald Conyngham from Welcoming Refugees in Crediton, told the "Courier": "For the past four years, Welcoming Refugees in Crediton has been seeking a house in the private sector to house a Syrian family under the Government scheme to resettle Syrian refugees.

"The house would be managed by Mid Devon District Council, with funding provided by Central Government.

"In February 2017 the council agreed to do this for up to five families.

"Since that time two families have been successfully resettled in other towns in the district but nothing suitable could be found in Crediton despite extensive publicity.

"However a few months ago, there was an offer of a house in Crediton for a Syrian family. The house was inspected by a council officer who said it was suitable but two days later the council said that it had to withdraw, owing to the pressures of meeting their existing statutory responsibilities.

"Naturally the group was shocked at this change.

"On Tuesday, June 18, the Homes Policy Development committee discussed it and members were clearly concerned that the offer of a house should still go ahead but also wanted to find a way in which this could be reconciled with their existing responsibilities.

"This could include finding an agency to manage the property on behalf of the council, a procedure which works well in other parts of the country.

"The motion passed by the committee was as follows: ’At the Homes Policy Development Group meeting members were minded to explore possibilities to both meet its statutory homeless duty whilst also supporting Syrian refugee placements. As such the issue will be further explored at the next Homes Policy Development Group’."