A FORMER councillor has urged City of York Council to provide sanctuary to people fleeing persecution from their own countries.

Steve Galloway, who represented the Liberal Democrats in Westfield for more than 30 years, said the plight of refugees trying to escape conflict in their own countries was something York should care about as a City of Sanctuary.

According to the United Nations, more than 2,600 people have died in recent months while fleeing the Middle East, and Mr Galloway said York's status as a City of Sanctuary meant it should offer them help.

Writing on his blog, Mr Galloway said: "At a time when, arguably, the western world faces its greatest humanitarian challenge since the end of the Second World War, it seems strange that the York 'City of Sanctuary' organisation launched in 2011 seems to have stalled.

"Should York take an initiative and say that it will find accommodation for, say, a dozen more refugees in the city? We think so. It might prompt other, larger, cities to take a similar stance.

"Communities acting together might just prompt the government to show more compassion and treat people as people not statistics. We hope so."

Under the City of Sanctuary scheme, York joined about 30 cities around the country in a movement to build "a culture of hospitality for people seeking sanctuary in the UK".

The scheme aims to create a network of towns and cities "which are proud to be places of safety for people seeking sanctuary and helping them integrate into their local communities".

Councillor Keith Aspden, the deputy leader of City of York Council, said it was right for the city to do its part to help people fleeing war, famine and persecution.

He added: “It is important to recognise that there is a large amount of fantastic work currently taking place to help and support refugees in York. The Refugee Action York group run a hub which is open to all asylum seeker, refugee and migrant families and individuals.

"This helps support some of the most disadvantaged people and provides them with skills that can help them to contribute to our city. This is just one example of how local people are coming together to help and support these groups. We will of course look at how we can do more to make York a more welcoming and supportive city.”

“The government needs to do more to help tackle this issue. Both through helping local governments support their communities and by taking action to help Britain play its role on the international stage.”