18 July 2008
MPs have supported town halls in calling for extra resources to deal with the pressures of incoming migrant workers.
In a report on community cohesion and migration published on July 16, the Commons communities and local government select committee said many migrants sustain local economies by filling employment gaps.
But, it added, the pressure on public services caused by sharp rises in population can increase community tensions.
The committee called for the government to create a contingency fund for councils whose services come under strain – a move strongly supported by the Local Government Association, which said the report echoed its concerns.
Committee chair Phyllis Starkey, said: 'We found that public concerns about the effects of migration are not necessarily based on prejudice, but can arise from genuine anxieties about practical issues, such as the effect of migration on housing and other local services.'
Starkey said government funding allocations to town halls failed to take into account the needs of communities that were experiencing rapid inward migration.
The report's recommendations included making it easy for councils to regulate houses in multiple occupation, increasing availability of English language courses to those most in need and boosting employer contributions to the cost of language courses.
The report acknowledged research that showed new arrivals do not receive priority treatment on services such as social housing, but called for the immediate creation of a contingency fund to ensure the quality of local services does not suffer from increased demand.
The report came two days after the Home Office published details of its draft Immigration and Citizenship Bill, described as the biggest overhaul of immigration laws for a generation.
The Bill, which will replace ten Acts of Parliament, includes proposals for a fund from extra immigration application fees designed to help police, schools, councils and local health services deal with the short-term pressures of migration.
But the committee described this 'transitional fund' as 'a drop in the ocean, in comparison to the needs of local government'. The fund will come from fees paid by non-European Union migrants and could amount to 'tens of millions' of pounds, according to the Home Office.
However, the LGA also believes the fund will not provide sufficient resources. Councils such as Slough have consistently maintained that official statistics underestimate the number of immigrants, particularly from eastern Europe. Communities Secretary Hazel Blears admitted last month that the government has no accurate data on the number of migrants arriving or leaving the country.
Border and immigration minister Liam Byrne said Britain was a welcoming place, but there was an expectation for newcomers to 'sign up to a deal if they want to stay and build a life' here.
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