A YORK charity is hoping to set up a community support network for Ukrainian people in the city.

York City of Sanctuary says there are thought to be about 50 people of Ukrainian nationality living here. Many might well have relatives in Ukraine who have fled their homes, and who might need help.

City of Sanctuary has access to a network of lawyers who can offer free legal advice on visa issues, said charity trustee and communications manager Rebecca Russell. She hopes that if a support network can be set up, it will also be possible to offer support with language – and even raise funds to help with things such as travel costs for Ukrainian evacuees who come to York.

“At the moment, we are waiting to see how many refugees will arrive and when,” Rebecca said. “It’s a fast moving situation. In preparation we are looking at putting in place a community support network. Although Ukraine numbers are small in York, it is important that we are prepared to welcome refugees who come here.” She said any Ukrainians living in York - or anyone who had Ukrainian friends or relatives - should get in touch with the charity at contact@yorkcos.org.uk.

The charity has already had a ‘huge amount of support’ from York people, Rebecca said. “There have been offers of accommodation, clothing, food and financial donations,” she said.

But she said until it is known how many evacuees are likely to come to York, and when, it is difficult to know what will be needed. Charities working near Ukraine are asking people NOT to donate food or clothing, she stressed, because of the difficulty of getting supplies to where they are needed.

More than two million people have now fled the Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, according to the UN.

The BBC reported on Wednesday that 760 British visas had been granted under the Home Office’s Ukraine Family Scheme, with 22,000 applications ‘on their way through’.

City of York Council has set up a web page - york.gov.uk/UkrainianRefugeeSupport - which directs people to ways in which they can offer support. It is ‘working with partners and established networks to ensure we have the right support in place once Migration Yorkshire is in a place to provide information on those planning on coming to York’.

But council leader Keith Aspden said the government’s response to the crisis had been ‘limited and chaotic, with councils, charities, partners and, most importantly those seeking refuge, being left in the dark’. “Ukrainians fleeing the war deserve far better than being stuck in a queue for a Home Office visa appointment,” he said.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell, meanwhile, was critical of the council for not doing enough. Only one Afghan family had been rehomed in York after the Taliban takeover, she said. “The council has presided over such a significant housing crisis that it can’t even home its own residents, and has used this as a reason not to support refugees,” she said. “It should do both.”