Our Afghanistan refugee resettlement scheme requires a collective effort

The UK’s resettlement programme can and should be ambitious, but every council must do their part for it to work, writes Jordan Tyldesley

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham (Getty)

One of the more depressing aspects of modern society is our committed reluctance to listen to others, or rather, understand their viewpoint. So devoted are we to being “right” and “good” that we often shy away from simply discussing uncomfortable and important subjects. But over the coming weeks the Afghan resettlement programme must prove to be the exception.

Northern constituents’ apprehensions concerning the prolonged uneven distribution of refugees and asylum seekers within our towns and cities must be understood and heard. What’s more, this government strategy has to change.

Since 2001, the conflict in Afghanistan has been ever present but decidedly distant for those privileged enough to be able to ignore it. A soundbite here or there and a passing comment regarding a location that some of us will never visit – let alone be able to point to on a map. But the Taliban takeover has opened up old wounds.