Newark and Sherwood's plea: Sort out the 'visa fiasco' so we can bring Ukrainian refugees to the UK and house them in our own homes

A home owner is demanding government cut the red tape and begin allowing Ukrainian refugees into Britain in greater numbers where homes, like his, await them.

Gary Hipkiss is so stirred by the crisis in Ukraine, and so upset by the plight of its people, that he is making his spare bedroom at his Collingham home available to refugees.

He is so exasperated with the visa fiasco that has seen only around 500 visas issued to the around 100,000 people who want to come, that he booked himself a plane ticket with the intention of somehow smuggling some poor soul out of the warzone. However, his worried family intervened and hid his passport so he couldn't go.

Gary, who has a number of friends who also have spare bedrooms on offer, has trawled the government websites, contacted the district council and made numerous calls with his offer, but to no avail.

He said there is simply no information out there about how to get involved and accuses the government of being hollow in its pledges.

Unlike with the refugee crises from Syria and Afghanistan, Newark and Sherwood District Council is yet to even be contacted by the government with any suggestion as to how a resettlement programme could work.

Mr Hipkiss said: "There's no information, which is nuts. The government need to pull their finger out and sort the visa situation.

"There are people in this area willing to help out but we don't know how, and while we wait to find out, people are suffering.

"The government's saying 'we'll do it' but they aren't whereas other countries are.

"The government needs to cut the red tape. It's shameful. There is a whole population at risk. More than 1.5m people have already fled. Ireland said we're taking refugees and just did, so did the EU, and what are we doing? Nothing. There are people who have left the UK to rescue loved ones who can't even get back — shameful.

"It breaks my heart when I see all those upset children, all of those innocent traumatised orphans; children with learning disabilities whose routines have been turned upside down and will struggle to come to terms with the upheaval.

"So many people want to offer help in a practical way, but can't.

"I was so anxious to help somebody that I had booked a flight and would have smuggled someone back if necessary but my family hid my stuff and my daughter persuaded me not to go.

"I feel like I should be doing something instead of sitting watching the news every day. I'm so upset that I can't do anything, but I can't turn the TV off, which makes me feel useless.

"I'm checking the government websites, have emailed councils and am constantly and making calls.

"If the councils actually started asking people to come forward it would reduce the time for families to be housed in safe settings as the council could do DBS checks to make sure the people being housed wouldn't be at risk.

"I even got in touch with RAF Brize Norton because if we can fly out arms, why can't we fly people back?"

One of his friends is a care home manager with one room to spare at the moment, but that will become when her convalescing son returns to his British Army unit currently stationed in Estonia protecting Nato's flank.

He says more and more people in the district want to put humanity first and make available space in their own homes for displaced Ukrainians.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said on a visit to Poland: "It’s heart-breaking to have met families, women and children forced from their homeland because of the monstrous Russian invasion.

"Our expanded Ukraine Family Scheme is now fully open and to see the first people who will apply was wonderful. While we want people to be able to return to their homes at the end of this diabolical invasion, giving thousands of people a route to the UK is the right thing to do.

"The whole of the UK is united in our condemnation of Russia’s barbaric and cold-blooded actions and the government is doing everything possible to make certain our humanitarian support is in Ukraine’s best interests."

An issue for delays in processing applications is said to be the requirement for security checks on individuals applying.

Speaking at a meeting of full council last night, district council leader David Lloyd said of the council's resettlement of Syrian and Afghan refugees: "We delivered when the call was made.

"Our friends in Ukraine will also be coming and when the call comes again, we will meet it as we have a reputation of not just meeting, but exceeding, and we will welcome them."