A UKIP county councillor has said that Lichfield and Burntwood should not be forced to take in any refugees.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has bowed to political and public pressure and agreed that the United Kingdom should resettle thousands of displaced Syrians.
Labour leadership hopeful Yvette Cooper has called on the UK to commit to helping 10,000 people.
Meanwhile, a local petition – shared on social media by the local branch of the Green Party – has called on Lichfield District Council to house ten families.
But Cllr Jeff Sheriff, UKIP representative for Burntwood South since 2013, blasted the Greens for what he believes is their utter “emotional stupidity”.
He said: “I reject the Green Party’s emotional call for Lichfield and Burntwood to take in refugees.
“The Greens do not think things through. In my opinion they are a stupid and irrational party.
“They do not care about the people or their country, they are just looking for absolutely anything to campaign on.
“We cannot continue to have high immigration into what is a small island. Germany, France and even Spain all have more landmass than us. It’s the EU’s open doors policy that has caused this problem.”
The UN believes Europe will need to take in 200,000 migrants to tackle what some believe is the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War Two.
Calls for the UK to take in more refugees intensified after pictures were published of the body of drowned three-year-old Alan Kurdi.
A statement from the Green Party in Lichfield and Burntwood said: “The city of Lichfield is kind and caring, therefore we will not stand idly by and let this suffering continue.
“Please sign and let our local leaders know that we demand action.”
But Cllr Sheriff claims that the EU should be going after the people smugglers rather than offering asylum.
The former IT consultant explained: “There needs to be an EU-wide solution to help these poor souls – instead of just a few countries acting unilaterally.
“We need to stop them from making the journey in the first place. We have this farcical situation at the moment where the Royal Navy are acting as a ferry service for migrants across the Mediterranean.
“Under Maritime Law it is quite right to help out boats in distress, but this situation simply cannot continue.”
Cllr Colin Greatorex, Cabinet member for Housing and Health at Lichfield District Council, said the local authority was looking at how it could help support any refugees.
“We have been told by the Home Office that they are exploring options of how to disperse refugees across the country,” he said. “We believe other councils across Staffordshire have also been contacted.
“While we do not have any council housing, we will work with our housing association partners and other partners to provide support and assistance as required by the Home Office.”
