Conwy has provided homes for 615 Ukrainian refugees and “guests” – and the authority may now help those fleeing from conflict in the Middle East.

At a council meeting at Bodlondeb on Thursday, cabinet member for housing and homelessness Cllr Emily Owen told councillors that a Ukrainian rehoming scheme had been a success.

The term ‘guest’ or ‘guests’ refers to an individual or household previously resident in Ukraine, prior to 1 January 2022, who has secured a visa under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The scheme enables Ukrainians to be housed by a sponsor.

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Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees arrived in the UK following the war with Russia, and Cllr Owen hoped the successful scheme could provide more homes to those fleeing wars in the Middle East.

During a section of the meeting reserved for cabinet member announcements, Cllr Owen said: “I just wanted to highlight that the resettlement team are continuing to support and work with refugees across the county, and the next tranche of work will start early in the new year.

“We’ve had 410 guests that have been supported since the start of the scheme, and 205 refugees are currently in Conwy, and it’s been a really good scheme. The team have worked really, really hard on that, and it just shows that when we’ve got safe passage and we’re dealing with victims of war with compassion what we can do, and given the conflicts that are going on in the Middle East at the moment, I hope this kind of scheme is supported in the future.”