Cumbria's commitment to helping refugees was reaffirmed after nearly 40 people who fled the Syrian conflict found a new home in the north and west of the county last year.

Home Office statistics show that under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme a further 33 people resettled in the Carlisle area ­– a decrease on the 37 who were relocated in the area the year before – while Copeland welcomed five people, the same number as the previous year.

Copeland Council mayor Mike Starkie said: “Like most of the councils across Cumbria we have been keen to support this effort.

“The experiences these families have gone through in Syria have been dreadful and to try to help is something that we were more than willing to take on in Copeland.

“We are doing as much as we can to make them feel welcome.”

The scheme was launched by the Government in 2014, with the Home Office setting a goal of resettling 20,000 refugees across the country.

Since its launch, 93 people have been resettled in Carlisle under the scheme, including 13 children, while 30 have been homed in Copeland and 33 in Allerdale, 17 of which were children.

They are among 1,904 to have resettled across the North West and 19,768 in the UK.

Allerdale did not welcome any new refugees through the scheme last year after taking in 16 people the previous year.

A Cumbria County Council spokesman said: “Cumbria has a long and proud history of welcoming people from other parts of the world who may be fleeing conflict, or escaping dangerous and hostile environments.

“In the last three years, the county council has helped to resettle more than 200 Syrian refugees across the county, where they have an opportunity to start new lives and raise their families in safety and in peace.

“Working with a variety of partner organisations, the council’s role is to support the integration of resettled families into our local communities, by helping them to access education and language services, job opportunities, and community projects to help them meet new people and contribute to their local area.”

Arrivals have ground to a halt during the coronavirus pandemic due to restrictions with the scheme just short of its goal, leading to a call for clarity from the Government on its long-term plans.

Louise Calvey, head of resettlement at Refugee Action, said: “The hugely successful refugee resettlement programme helped hundreds of families and thousands of people rebuild their lives in the UK.

“However, a lack of clarity on what happens after March 31 next year is threatening the future of refugee resettlement, because local authorities providing services to people are unable to plan for arrivals and arrange necessary support for vulnerable families.

“The Government must give more certainty and urgently make a long-term commitment to resettle 10,000 refugees every year.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, the government is now close to fulfilling its commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable refugees.”