'Migration numbers wrong' say councils

Councils, police forces and fire services have raised concerns they are being short-changed by inaccurate population estimates - which lead to smaller grant settlements from Whitehall.

Authorities say the imbalance between funding and actual migration is placing a huge pressure on basic services such as transport, schooling and health.

In the past, only councils at the forefront of migration pressure, such as Slough and Westminster, have spoken out about the controversial figures.

But now the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has revealed 41 councils, two police forces and two fire services have "made specific representations regarding population data".

The authorities are spread throughout the country, and include major councils such as: Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, Derby, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, Norwich, Plymouth.

Police forces in Northumbria and South Yorkshire have also contacted the CLG, as have the fire services in South Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association warned that the official migration estimates needed to be overhauled.

He said: "It is vital that population statistics are accurate to make sure that the right amount of funding for public services gets to the right parts of the country.

"Areas that have had population underestimated are clearly experiencing difficulties locally and it's now broadly recognised that official figures need to be improved.

"Migration is of massive benefit to the British economy but we need to make sure that enough money gets back down to the local level to ensure quality public services for all."

Population figures used by government are calculated by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The ONS mainly bases its figures on the 2001 Census, along with the International Passenger Survey, a limited survey of people entering and leaving the UK.

The ONS has started to incorporate the Labour Force Survey, as well as trying to take into account temporary migration, to make it's figures more accurate - but critics still claim they are wide of they mark.

Damian Green, the shadow minister for immigration, said: "I first became aware of this problem after a visit to Boston in Lincolnshire. They were saying they were funded for a population of 58,000 but they reckoned the actual population was some way north of 70,000. A lot of places are suffering from the same.

"There needs to be more responsive collection data, and our immigration system needs to be organised so that there's not more people coming in than they expect."

Councils claim that migration, although in most cases welcome, is placing a huge pressure on basic services such as transport, schooling and health.

Earlier this year, Richard Stokes, leader of Slough Borough Council, said: "Official migration statistics are not fit for purpose. Estimates have failed to keep pace with what is happening on the ground and public services are suffering as a consequence.

"The migrants that come to Slough are hard working and bring great benefit to the local economy but the council remains severely under funded because of these poor statistics."

A spokesman for the CLG said the ONS figures were the best available. He added: "The Comprehensive Spending Review announced a real terms funding increase for local government over the next three years - adding to the real terms 39 per cent increase they have had over the last 10 years.

"Individual authorities will be informed of their provisional funding allocations for 2008/09 in early December; it is premature to speculate on the amounts individual authorities might receive."

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