Coventry leads the way in Syrian Refugee resettlement scheme

Coventry has housed more refugees than anywhere else Credit: PA

Coventry has taken the highest number of refugees from of all local authorities, with a total of 105 between October and March, figures published by the Home Office show.

It was followed by Nottingham, which received 81 refugees in the period.A total of 71 local authorities accepted people under the scheme, which isvoluntary for town halls.

Regionally, Scotland took by far the greatest share, with 610 - more than athird of the total 1,602 Syrians who arrived across the UK through theinitiative in the six months from October.

David Cameron announced plans to step up the Syrian Vulnerable PersonsResettlement Scheme last year after public outcry over the fate of those driven to attempt to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean by boat.

The Government has pledged to resettle 20,000 people from the region around the war-torn country by 2020.

Earlier this year it was revealed that the scheme is expected to cost more than half a billion pounds.