Q&A: councils and immigration
Updated on 01 November 2007
The Local Government Association has today released a report calling for more funding to help authorities cope with the influx of migrants.
How much does the Local Government Association want?
Local authorities are calling for £250m per year to help local services cope with the added pressure of migration.
Why does the LGA say councils need the extra funds?
It seems that the government underestimated the number of foreign workers arriving in Britain since 1997 by 300,000. In response, local authorities have argued that they have not received adequate funding to cope with the increased pressure on services.
How do councils want to get more accurate figures on the numbers moving into their authorities?
They think data such as GP registrations, National Insurance numbers and schools census records should be made available.
Why are these figures so important?
Some authorities have complained that the figures used to calculate migrant numbers, like the National Census, are inaccurate. The data is then used to calculate government funding, leading to a shortfall.
Which services are most under pressure from increased immigration?
The report claims many schools have difficulty coping with frequently changing populations from varied cultural backgrounds and it says there are too few English classes.
Hospitals are oversubscribed, partly because migrants from countries that have joined the EU since May 2004, known as the A8, tend to go to A&E rather than registering with their local doctor. The number of these recent migrants in need of housing assistance is also on the rise.
What has been the government's response?
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears says that the government has already announced an average increase of funding to local authorities of 1 per cent per year over the next three years, as well as providing a £50m package to promote integration.
