REVEALED: The number of asylum seekers in your town

Between them Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall have 1,800 asylum seekers – 400 more than Birmingham.

But Cannock Chase has only four while South Staffordshire, Stafford and Lichfield have not taken any at all.

The figures were obtained by Warley MP John Spellar in response to a question in Parliament amid concerns that poorer areas are taking more than their 'fair share' of asylum seekers compared with others.

And they prompted Sandwell Council's leader Darren Cooper to refuse to take any of 20,000 Syrian refugees the UK has pledged to help until there are guarantees on funding and other councils start taking more asylum seekers.

Councillor Cooper said Sandwell was not turning its back on refugees but said it was not right that his borough had 695 asylum seekers while more affluent areas had none.

He said: "There is clear evidence to show that the Black Country is taking more asylum seekers than Birmingham while other areas do not take any at all.

"Therefore on the issue of Syrian refugees I have told the government that no, Sandwell will not be taking any as things currently stand."

Asylum seekers are sent to areas such as the Black Country because they are designated as 'dispersal' areas by the Home Office – something council leaders want changed.

Walsall Council is also refusing to take any Syrian refugees without assurances that there will be adequate funding from the government to cover all their needs.

And the official figures show the number of asylum seekers in receipt of government support in Sandwell has shot up from 359 in 2013 to the 695 total today.

Wolverhampton, meanwhile has gone from 402 to 645 and is planning to take around 20 Syrian refugees.

Walsall's total has risen from 156 to 234.

Dudley, which has also recently agreed to take 20 Syrian refugee families, has gone from 144 asylum seekers in 2013 to 226. Stoke-on-Trent has 625.

Staffordshire County Council has pledged to take Syrian refugees without specifying numbers at this stage. And Stafford Borough Council leader Patrick Farrington said he had been speaking with other parties including Stafford and Rural Homes, which manages 6,000 social housing properties, to see the best way of assisting people.

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson said the cost and supply of housing in the county meant it was more expensive for the likes of G4S, which manages the government's asylum seeker contract, to find homes in some Staffordshire areas.

He said: "Rural areas often have an acute housing shortage with a lower amount of social housing. That's why there aren't as many asylum seekers in these areas."

The figures relate to asylum seekers in receipt of government funding. It provides housing and benefits to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute until their claim is determined.

Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: "There are very separate issues here. The Government has said it wants to resettle thousands more people living in camps on the Syrian border here in the UK.

"In Staffordshire we will of course do all we can to support and welcome any Syrian families into our county.

"We have established a special group that will work with district and borough councils and other partners to identify what we can do to provide support and help.

"Regarding the numbers of asylum seekers in the West Midlands, where those people are placed while their application is considered depends on the specific terms of the contract between the Home Office and the company administering it."

Staffordshire

Staffordshire County Council has pledged to help refugees but it must also work with the district councils and has yet to put a figure on its support.

Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said the council had established a group to do this.

He said the county also had a 'long tradition' of helping people who had come to the UK as refugees.

On the Syria crisis he said: ""Few can have been failed to have been moved by the crisis which is unfolding in Europe. There is not a simple answer to this crisis in Syria and the impact on those fleeing its borders. However, Britain has a long history of providing a home to genuine refugees.

"The Government has said it wants to now help resettle thousands more people living in camps on the Syrian border here in the UK and in Staffordshire we will of course be willing to do all we can to support and welcome any families into our county and our communities."

Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton council is working on plans to help Syrian refugees and expects that around 20 will come to the city. The authority has stressed the money will come from central government, not from taxpayers.

Councillor Roger Lawrence, leader of the council, said: "The situation demands a cross-European response and of course the UK should play a major role in this.

"When the first group of Syrian refugees were dispersed the government offered one year's funding, but expected councils and health services to support the often traumatised victims for up to five years.

"I believe all councils have a responsibility to work with government around this issue but that any dispersal programme must be seen to be both fair and fully resourced.

"Councils must be involved in discussions and not, as at present, largely marginalised. Support should not be limited to funding but assistance given to meet health, housing and educational pressures as well."

Walsall

Walsall Council is not prepared to accept Syrian refugees without assurances that there will be adequate funding from the government.

Council leader Mike Bird said: "Whoever takes refugees gets funding, but it is only for one year. The government expects that after this time the refugees will have integrated into society. I don't think it is as simple as that. People will need support for longer and the government has to provide it. It's not fair on anyone, the councils or the refugees themselves, otherwise.

"Council budgets have been declining for years. What I'd say to the Home Office is this: You show me how the council can have extra funding to support these people. It's going to require a lot more than people might think. For a start there will be the need to help people to learn English. So the government has to tell me the package it is prepared to put in place before I'm prepared to say the council has made its mind up."

Dudley

Dudley Council has agreed to welcome 20 refugee families from Syria to the borough.

Councillor Gaye Partridge, cabinet member for housing, said: "As a community council we feel we have a duty to open our doors to those refugees who are in desperate need. Many people have contacted myself and other councillors because they are overwhelmed by scenes of people literally struggling to survive and they are quite rightly asking what we can do to help.

"We would like to assure everyone, the help we are offering will not detract from the services we provide and local people will remain a priority when it comes to education, housing and the many other services we provide.

"But this is about going that extra mile to help people in desperate need. We are currently formulating a plan to look at what spare capacity we have in schools and our housing stock and what health and social services provision we have in the borough to see how we can help."

Sandwell

Sandwell Council has refused to accept any Syrian

refugees without assurances over funding and a change to how asylum seekers are 'dispersed' around the country.

The borough currently has the largest number of asylum seekers in the Black Country and council leader Darren Cooper says wealthier areas of the country should do their 'fair share'.

He said: "The reason for this is we already have social housing that is oversubscribed and we do not have enough school places.

"This is not a case of Sandwell turning its back on desperate people. It is about saying to the wealthier parts of the country that they have to do their bit too, just as we have been doing with the hundreds of asylum seekers already here.

"It's also about telling the government that it has to do more to help councils to cope. The funding for Syrian refugees is only guaranteed for 12 months. What then?"

Shropshire

Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council, said: "The council are keeping all options open. As we have said, we want to be as certain as possible that early good intentions are likely to have good outcomes.

"We are considering how we can bring refugees to Shropshire – house and support them and, more than this, how the skills refugees will bring can boost our economy. We are also considering if we could be a point of distribution of refugees for other parts of the UK, but it is too early to say if this is feasible. However, it is important that nothing is ruled out at this stage.

"Shropshire Council wants to support refugees, and we support the position of the Local Government Association that the government must fund the aid and support we provide."