MOVES to welcome more Syrian refugees to Herefordshire will help the new university attract greater numbers of international students.

That is the hope of Herefordshire Council, with cabinet members today due to consider whether to extend a scheme for the re-settlement of refugees in the county.

Herefordshire has already become home to 60 Syrians over the last year, but the proposal, if approved, will extend refugee resettlement to an additional 35 people – taking Herefordshire’ s total commitment to 95.

It is hoped that a more diverse population will prove to be beneficial to communities and the future NMiTE university.

A report prepared for cabinet members says: “Developing a diverse population will support Herefordshire in attracting international students to the new university and provide a more varied workforce for businesses to recruit and develop from.

“Herefordshire now has an established small Syrian community so any further commitment to take Syrians would offer greater opportunities for them to integrate with the resident community.”

So far, the resettlement of refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (SVPRS) appears to have gone well, the report says, with no significant issues or pressures.

It adds that all those wh o have been resettled in the county have been housed in properties in the private rental market.

Funding for the county’ s refugee resettlement scheme is provided by central government. The Home Office provides five years of funding to the council for refugees .

The report also highlights that although there has been an increase in reported hate crime relating to race in 2017, this has been outweighed significantly by positive comments.

Cabinet will also be asked to approve Herefordshire’s participation in a general asylum dispersal scheme which will allo w some negotiation over the profile and numbers of asylum seekers allocated to the county.