The Conservative Group has written to the Mayor and to local MPs covering the wards we represent to express our support for helping refugees from the war in Ukraine. 

Cllr Tom Wootton said:

'We know the strength of feeling of residents of the Borough and all the charitable work the community is undertaking in support of those who have had to flee their homes and those who are still stuck in the conflict. Helping is the right thing to do, especially given the long standing connection Bedford has with Ukraine, not least through John Howard'.

Cllr Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant said: 

'In our email to the Mayor we have expressed our support for the Council sponsoring refugees. We recognise that this is an effective way of helping those who have fled and we have offered our help to the Mayor.

Likewise, we have written to MPs to say how important we believe it is to have clear procedures and charitable policies to enable those who are affected by the invasion to escape safely to the UK and receive the welcome they need. We know that there is a lot of work going on around this.'

The Chairman of the Conservative Councillors' Association has also written to the Ukrainian Ambassador to offer the support of all Conservative Councillors, whether then run the local authority of which they are members or not.