By Richard Johnstone | 29 April 2014
The government should introduce a new system of citizen registration to allow for better local planning of public services in areas with high levels of immigration, a think-tank has said today.
Ahead of the European elections next month, the Institute for Public Policy Research called for reforms to the system of free movement of people within the economic bloc to boost fairness.
IPPR said free movement had delivered major benefits, and attempts being led by the UK Independence Party to withdraw the UK from the European Union, due to concerns over immigration, would be ‘a hugely retrograde step’.
However, the Europe, free movement and the UK report stated public concerns over the unfair impact of migration, including from countries in eastern Europe, needed to be addressed.
A number of specific changes could be introduced by the UK government within current rules, the report stated. As well as putting in place a local registration system for all citizens to enable better planning of services, agency contracts that allow EU workers to be hired below minimum wage rates should be banned.
In addition, the UK should attempt to get support from other EU states for wider changes to the current migration regime. These should include making countries responsible for paying any welfare benefits required by their own citizens for a minimum of six months in new states, and using the European Social Fund to pay for the return of destitute or homeless migrants. Any countries experiencing high outflows of citizens over short periods should be required to set out a plan to deal with this to the European Parliament.
IPPR senior researcher Alex Glennie said that ahead of the European elections, there was a serious threat to the free movement of workers.
‘So far, supporters of free movement have failed to make a case that chimes with public concerns, too often dismissing those concerns as ill-informed or worse,’ she warned.
‘In fact, there is scope for reforming how free movement works to make it work more fairly for all – particularly from the perspective of the majority of people who do not move between EU countries. Such reforms, which are modest and sensible, would strengthen free movement, not weaken it.’
