A disabled elderly couple who offered to share their idyllic lochside home with Ukrainian refugees have been blocked by government red tape.
Pensioners David and Janetta Fuller and their son and daughter-in-law live in a picture postcard setting, with two acres of gardens, by the shores of Loch na Keal, on the Isle of Mull.
They wanted to give their spare bedroom which is suitable for a couple and a child.
But David, 81, said apart from “two or three general emails” from the Home Office they heard nothing until last week.
They were being asked for driving licence, passport IDs and other documentation they don’t have.
Now they have told Argyll and Bute Council they are withdrawing from the resettlement scheme.
David, a former foundry manager who retired to Mull 22 years ago, said: “We got an email questionnaire asking us for general information about our house, what accommodation it offered, who lived here and what access we had to local transport.
“This was followed by an officious demand for copies of passports, driving licences, utility bills, wage slips and bank statements for each member of our family.”
David added: “My wife and I do not own passports or driving licences, we conduct all our business online and do not receive or retain and relevant documentation.
“We are thus deemed unsuitable to provide bed and board for some homeless, traumatised individuals.
“This bureaucratic impasse has resulted in us having no alternative but to withdraw from the scheme and deny accommodation for a homeless family.
“Had we known a family in the Ukraine we could have paid their fare to the UK, given them a well-earned holiday, use of a house with two acres of gardens, 200 metres from the shore of a sea loch and overlooking the mountains and let them stay on as long as proved necessary.”
A spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council said: “The Scottish Government guidance states that Enhanced Disclosure checks must be carried on anyone wishing to participate in the sponsorship scheme.
“We are aware of the concerns raised by the family and have provided them with additional guidance and support, including details of identification documents that can be used for Enhanced Disclosure checks.
“We are sorry that they felt the need to withdraw their application, but the safeguarding of refugees is of paramount importance to Argyll and Bute Council and is not something we would overlook.”
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