The government must provide clarification on funding before Syrian refugees are homed in Medway.

That's the message from Medway Council, which agreed last night to call for the government to consider the full financial implications of housing refugees on a long term basis.

A motion put forward by Cllr Rupert Turpin (Con) said the council was sympathetic to the plight of refugees but questioned regulations around Department for International Development funding, which cannot always be used for domestic expenditure.

It added: "This council is of the view that we cannot jeopardise the vital services currently being delivered to residents.

"Therefore, if the funding cannot come from DfID, the Treasury must arrange the alternative."

The agreed motion suggests chief executive Neil Davies writes to the Secretary of State Justice Greening MP asking the government to consider the implications of homing refugees in Medway and ensure full financial consideration is made for subsequent years, as much as the first.

Cllr Alan Jarrett addressed the situation, saying: "The first response from Government was 'we will give you one year's funding', with no understanding that funding will follow. The statement I issued to the press was along the lines of 'we're keeping our powder dry.'

"It's for the government to determine immigration levels and adequately fund the councils that may be affected."

He said councils who had committed to taking on certain numbers of refugees, without assurances of funding, were "not behaving in a way we would behave as an administration."

And he pointed to existing pressures in Medway created by long waiting lists for housing, large numbers of children in care, and large numbers of asylum seekers.

"I think the Government is starting to take a more measured approach," he added. "We are very sympathetic and we will do what we can, but we must as an overriding priority look after the people that live in Medway."

Labour leader Vince Maple said he would back the motion, but that he would be calling for the council to commit to specific numbers when the clarification of funding had been received.