THERE are some pretty horrible things that go on in the world. Atrocities in Syria, war in Yemen, displaced refugees in their millions across the globe. Where people have been victimised, it has been by despotic regimes, terrorists and war. Indeed, in Wyre Forest, we are taking in Syrian refugees, including, in due course, unaccompanied children. I was heartened by the district’s response to calls for help.

Last week, I met with some families who had been displaced with incredibly short notice. Families torn from their friends and families, having as little as twelve hours’ notice to uproot and leave, pull their children out of schools. The perpetrator of this cruel act? Labour controlled Brent Council in London. It seems that Brent council has decided to socially cleanse itself by uprooting those people who it has to support by fulfilling its duty to find accommodation for the homeless with transferring them to the regions. They have been sending people to Birmingham and now they are sending people to Kidderminster. All of these displaced people have the same needs as all of us, medical conisations, school requirements, religious needs, a whole host of things that we all take for granted. In many cases, they have never lived outside London so are having to adjust to our way of life. Of course, what they want more than anything else is to be able to go back to where they call home and to be with their wider social groups and networks.

I am trying to find out the scale of this problem, but for Wyre Forest, it is probably still small. But it is simply unbelievable that a council, that presumably would like to pride itself on having a sense of social justice and care for the poor, as a Labour run council would, should commit such an appalling act.

I will be helping these displaced families as best I can, making sure that where Brent has failed them, we can provide for them. It is vital that they get easy access to health and education needs, and that social services ensure that they settle in locally as best they can. That the Job Centre helps them find work. After all, it seems Labour, with its stony heart in Brent, is incapable of helping. We will show them how it is done.