YORK'S benefit from the thousands of international students educated here means the city has a moral obligation to help refugees, a campaigner has said.

Don Phillips, who helped organise the mass rally which saw more than 1,000 people take to the streets in support of people fleeing conflict in Syria, told councillors at a meeting on Thursday that the city needs to be more proactive with its offers of help.

He said: "We cannot cope with the unchecked arrival of economic migrants, but I feel we are not doing enough to help the people of Syria who live in a hell hole being bombed by ourselves, the USA and Russia.

"People like you and I are running from this to save their lives. Imagine it. The crisis is not unlike the crisis of Europe in the 1930s."

He added: "Here in York we educate thousands of people of the world who pay to come here. We have a duty to give something back."

Enough goodwill, cash and help has been offered by people keen to help refugees to mean people could be welcomed to York immediately without any cost to the public purse, Mr Phillips said.

After the meeting deputy council leader Keith Aspden confirmed that York council had told Migration Yorkshire it was ready and willing to accept refugees, adding that government figures had finally confirmed York was likely to receive around 60 refugees over five years, with extra funding that will last beyond the initial 12 months.

He also spoke of the York Refugee Appeal, recently set up as a central point for financial donations, as well as a city wide task group set up to organised the practical support which will be offered to refugees.