Meeting to discuss Afghan military base home

A public information meeting is being held for residents of three villages near an army camp housing Afghan citizens.

Afghan families have been temporarily housed at Nesscliffe barracks, Shropshire, since November under the government's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

The meeting on Tuesday evening is for people living in Nesscliffe, Wilcott, and Pentre, and aims to inform them of support provided for about 300 Afghans, and to address concerns such as over local services.

"It’s basically about providing reassurance to the local community," said Ed Potter, from Shropshire Council.

The ARAP is for people who supported the UK government and military in Afghanistan.

The village hall meeting at 19:00 BST will include a Ministry of Defence (MoD) presentation.

Residents were able to pre-submit questions for the MoD, and issues raised included road safety and concerns pressure was being put on local services.

The camp's location means people walk along a busy nearby road to get around the area.

"There’s a few highway safety issues, we don’t have pavements, we don’t have street lighting," said Mr Potter.

"It’s also about pressure on the local facilities, including use of the park."

Mr Potter said he hoped the meeting would quash misinformation spreading online, including that the Afghan families' presence was affecting the availability of GP appointments.

"The health provision is provided through a separate NHS contract to the camp, but of course rumour and speculation amounts," he said.

"People can’t get a GP appointment, and blame then gets placed locally on the camp, which might not necessarily be correct."

Mr Potter said racist graffiti appeared at a play park in early August, and hate comments towards the Afghans had been posted on social media.

But, Mr Potter said the vast majority of people wanted to support the Afghan citizens.

"When there isn’t information readily coming out, it really does fuel speculation and rumour, and often that rumour and speculation is unfounded."

The camp was initially to be used to house the Afghan families for six months, and it is hoped the meeting would provide clarity on how long it would continue to do so.

"We don't know about dates, hence why this sort of meeting is useful," Mr Potter added.

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