Canterbury City Council is under no obligation to take in refugees and nor is it able to use its housing stock to accommodate them, bosses said today.

Larissa Reed, the council’s assistant director, says housing for adult arrivals in the UK is dealt with centrally by the government while unaccompanied children are put into the care of Kent County Council.

It follows growing clamour that the Conservative-controlled authority should pump its resources into the issue, with Labour and Lib Dem members arguing the council should “co-ordinate efforts in finding emergency accommodation”.

But council leader Simon Cook says there are already more than 2,000 people in the district waiting for homes.

He said today: “While we have massive sympathy for those who find themselves in this situation, the fact is there is already a crippling need for housing with all these people waiting for homes.

“It is the government which allocates the housing for refugees and they are not coming to us saying that this is what we need to do.

“At this time of crisis, there is astonishing amount of support here in Canterbury and if people feel strongly about helping, then the best thing to do is give to the charities such as Christian Aid, the British Red Cross and Refugee Action.

“It’s deeds not words which count.”

Yesterday the district’s Labour councillors Alan Baldock, Jean Butcher and Bernadette Fisher and Lib Dems Michael Dixey, Nick Eden-Green and Charlotte MacCaul issued a statement which called on the authority to “make a public commitment to welcome those refugees allocated with warmth and humanity”.

Cllr Fisher added: “Canterbury City Council is uniquely placed to co-ordinate efforts in finding emergency accommodation as well as long term housing in the private sector.

“We can also help the many dedicated charities and volunteers already doing their bit to help in this humanitarian crisis.”

But Mrs Reed says those seeking asylum in the UK become the responsibilty of the National Asylum Seeking Service.

“Although it’s a serious issue, it is not a new issue and there are already established procedures in Kent for dealing with refugees,” Mrs Reed said.

“The adults and families from Syria under the recently-announced national government scheme will be given housing organised by the government. Local authorities currently have no role to play in this.

“In being housed through the government scheme, refugees will be able to access specialist support, advice, assistance and medical care, which local authorities and local people would not be able to arrange.

“We are working with homeless charities Porchlight and Catching Lives to plan how we may deal with any increase in street homelessness resulting from adults coming to the district from the camp at Calais.”

Mrs Reed says the council has taken calls from people wanting to help and says they should give to charities. “If they do that, then the sum result will be greater than the separate parts,” she added.

Social services at Kent County Council has automatic responsibility for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children as its priority is caring for children.

The former Ladesfield Care Home in Whitstable is part of the action plan and will hold up to forty 16-18-year-olds.