Councils Seek Fund For Flood Of Immigrants

The sheer volume of immigrants now means the UK’s health, police, education and housing provision are all under enormous pressure.

Language problems and the absence of translators can also make it difficult for immigrants to gain access to key services and in some cases, social tensions between migrant groups have also arisen where one national group is victimised by another.

Councils in town halls across Great Britain have therefore called for a £250 million ‘emergency fund’ to help local authorities to cope with the increasing pressure on public services from immigration.

A report from the Local Government Association claims that official population statistics seriously underestimate the number of immigrants in large areas of the country.

In some rural areas, such as Boston, Lincolnshire, the number of migrant workers is nine times the number cited in official statistics, according to the first study of all local authorities.

The problem arises because local council grants are based on national census figures, and many of the new migrants, particularly those who move on within a year, are not reflected in annual cash allocations.

The document argues that although immigrants bring significant benefits to the national economy, the workers and their families are also imposing huge burdens on services.

The influx of immigrants from the eight European (A8) accession countries since 2004 have skewed figures further because these people are settling and not following traditional immigration patterns.

Poles, Lithuanians and Czechs are now moving out of cities to rural areas in East Anglia, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Cumbria to take up farming and fruit-picking jobs.

The study, carried out for the LGA by the Institute of Community Cohesion and based on more than 100 respondents, found that many A8 citizens went to hospital A&E departments rather than registering with a doctor because they do not understand how health care operates in Britain.

In addition, some hospitals were failing to recoup the cost of treating citizens from these countries, such as Poland and Lithuania, which joined the EU in May 2004.

Children of some immigrant workers were working longer hours than permitted legally and many schools found it difficult to cope with frequently changing populations from widely different backgrounds.

There were also too few English-language classes. Many immigrants were living in overcrowded homes which were in poor repair and often a safety risk.

Council leaders argue that data such as GP registrations, national insurance numbers and school census records should be used to give a more accurate picture of the number of migrants.

Sir Simon Milton, LGA chairman, claims that at least 24,000 people are missed out of census figures in Westminster City Council alone, where he is leader.

Sir Simon agreed, however, that the report showed that migration benefited the country by generating £40 billion a year.

“The problem is that the money that is being generated isn’t necessarily finding its way back down to the local level,” said Sir Simon.

“No one has a real grasp of where or for how long migrants are settling, so much-needed funding for local services isn’t getting to the right places. The speed and scale of migration, combined with the shortcomings of official population figures, is placing pressure on funding for services like children’s services and housing. This can even lead to unnecessary tension and conflict.”

Sir Simon said that a special migration contingency fund, set at £250 million a year, should be set up to allow councils expecting high rates of immigration to apply for extra money.

Hazel Blears, the Government’s Communities Secretary, acknowledged the impact of immigration on public services but claimed that councils had been given significant additional resources, including a £50 million fund to help to manage cohesion and integrate services.

“The effects of migration can put a strain on public services, especially when there is a large movement into an area in a short space of time and we recognise that some individual local authorities are experiencing more challenges than others,” she said.

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said the report showed that Labour’s “open door” approach to immigration was placing huge pressure on public services and housing. “This is being made worse by shoddy government statistics which underestimate the numbers and have left councils short of the resources to take this increased strain,” he said.

(BMcC)