'Should we reject them?' says Laois host of Electric Picnic who is housing Ukrainian refugees in tents

Tents are not the ideal way to accommodate refugees from the Ukraine war in Laois but there is no other choice due to the lack of alternative housing in the short term, according to Thomas Cosby the owner of the site in Stradbally.

Mr Cosby spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live about the housing of people who have fled Russian aggression on his land in the Laois town which hosts the Electric Picnic.

He described some of the responses to the move as "nonsense and paranoia" adding that there is a lot of confusion about who will be housed in tents in the Stradbally Estate. 

He said he had been approached by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to take on the contract of using the Electic Picnic facilities. He described the decision to enter this contract as a 'no brainer' given that all the equipment was on site on his land to meet requirements.

As part of agreeing to provide the contract, Mr Cosby said he had visited other locations where tents are currently being used to house new arrivals in Ireland.

Mr Cosby said tents were an ideal solution but he believed there were few other options available given the shortage of housing to accommodate people who have fled their homeland to escape the conflict. 

Nevertheless, he insisted that the contract would extend no longer than six weeks describing it as a 'stopgap' to meet the short-term need.

He said that the announcement would have been a 'shock to the system' to the people of Stradbally but he questioned what alternative there is.

"These are women and children who have fled war in Europe," he said asking Should we reject? Should we send people away? Is that the correct thing to do?"

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He declined to disclose how much he was being paid but there is a considerable cost in providing the accommodation.

Mr Cosby was due to speak publicly in Stradbally at a public meeting at Market