31 May 2002
According to the charity, the government has refused to meet representatives to discuss alternative options.
The three sites – in Oxfordshire, Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire – will house up to 750 people. The Red Cross argues that the refugees would be better off in smaller, urban centres that would make integration into the community easier.
A spokesman told Public Finance: 'We are concerned that the government has not responded to our requests for a meeting. We are not alone in having these concerns, the other refugee agencies agree with us that these centres will damage attempts at future integration and we believe they will increase, rather than reduce, community tension.'
Smaller, urban centres would have better access to other agencies dealing with health and education, the charity said, pointing out that 'obtaining and supporting staff and volunteers in large numbers to work in isolated settings is very difficult'.
PFmay2002
