Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
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Managing the impacts of Migration

Managing the impacts of Migration

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT News Release (140) issued by The Government News Network on 11 June 2008

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today set out the range of actions the Government is taking to manage migration, maximise the benefits for the whole of the UK and minimise the negative impacts.

This includes a £12m programme of improvements to the way migration data are collected; a fund to help all local services manage the transitional impacts of migration; and tougher penalties on those that exploit vulnerable workers and undercut the minimum wage.

Across Government actions are being taken to deliver a robust, fair migration system that will underpin Britain's long tradition of benefiting from people coming here helping this country to prosper and of providing protection to people fleeing persecution, but equally protecting Britain's borders from those who do not have a right to be here.

The full breadth of government's work is for the first time brought together in Managing the Impacts of Migration: a Cross Government Approach published today. It looks at the national context for migration to the UK and the benefits it brings. It then examines the local impacts of migration on our communities and services and sets out the Government's programme of current and future work to support local government and its partners in maximising the benefits of migration.

The Government's commitments to managing migration focus on five key areas:

* Strengthening our borders. We have created a single borders force with new powers to target those coming here illegally, electronic controls to count people in and out of the country and the introduction of ID cards for all foreign nationals. A new points based system will allow us to select those most able to make a positive contribution to the UK.

* Improving population data by making changes to the way in which we record the number of migrants coming here and where they settle. We are supporting the Office for National Statistics, who are working with local Government to ensure we have the most accurate, up to date data that effectively capture local population change. New figures will be used to inform the 3 year funding settlement for Local Government in 2011.

* Providing funding where needed to help manage the transitional impacts of migration. The Home Office Green Paper on The Path to Citizenship, published in February 2008, set out a proposal to set up a fund to manage the transitional impacts of migration. Money for the fund will be raised through increases to certain fees for immigration applications. The fund aims to be operating from April 2009 and may be spent on building the capacity of local service providers to manage the impacts of migration. For example, it could be spent on improving mapping of communities and local data; on information websites which provide information for migrants coming to the UK; or on English language training or interpretation services. However, this list is not exhaustive and we would expect the money to be spent on a wide range of issues according to local need. The Government has already made additional resources available - such as for schools experiencing growth in pupil numbers.


* Protecting workers: People who do come here to live and work have a right to be treated fairly. The overwhelming majority of employers are responsible but in some sectors employers are undercutting minimum wage and exploiting migrant workers. This leaves migrant workers vulnerable and can also leave British workers struggling to compete. We are toughening the action that can be taken against unscrupulous employers who knowingly hire illegal workers as well as commencing a sector by sector enforcement of the National Minimum Wage starting with the hotel industry.

* Promoting integration. Ensuring that migrants are part of strong cohesive communities. The Government has rebalanced its community cohesion strategy to put a major new focus on mapping of local issues to devise local solutions, moving away from a one size fits all approach. This emphasises the role of national Government in providing a framework for local authorities to build cohesion and a shared sense of local belonging and work to build integration. The Government framework includes guidance on where translation is appropriate, greater emphasis on English language learning, information packs for migrants, citizen days and work to tackle misconceptions of migrants that can lead to tensions. This has been supported by £50m cohesion funding over three years.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will say:

"Too often debates around migration are polarised around stark headlines - we end up with one group calling for closed borders at any cost, another refusing to acknowledge that migration brings any challenges. Successful migration policy achieves a balance between the two.

"To compete in the global economy we need the skills of migrants alongside the further upskilling of the settled population. We have the systems in place that will attract the right people with the right skills and will take more effective action against those coming here illegally. We need to be clear about the rights and responsibilities of people coming here to live and work. We will support the places and people that are adjusting to changes in their populations

"The precise difference that migration makes to local places and people varies from town to town. Some communities can readily see the benefits, some people have concerns about pressures on public services and pressure on the labour market; in other places it is the rate and scale of change which is the cause for concern, whilst for others the real challenges will arise if net migration reduces. That is why local responses are so important.

"Across Government we are committed to managing migration in the round - maximising the positives and addressing the challenges. We are delivering a migration system that is well managed and fair and supporting local authorities in responding to change."

It is in our interests to support economic migration and to take a mature practical approach to managing the positive and negative consequences and that is why we are setting out the practical actions that we are taking nationally and locally.

Hazel Blears also announced today that the first Specialist Cohesion Team Pilot will be in Breckland. The Government's response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion's report said that we would be piloting additional support to local authorities facing cohesion challenges particularly those areas facing rapid change. Breckland has been chosen as the pilot on Migration issues. The aim of the pilot is primarily to share good practice, both in terms of identifying what is already working well within Breckland, and also in identifying what good practice from elsewhere might be applicable within the area. The specialist cohesion teams will seek to apply their expertise in coaching partnerships on building strong and cohesive communities in which everyone regardless of race or faith has a real stake in their community and where services are tailored to meet local needs. Activity will be focussed on ensuring integration, community cohesion and conflict resolution.

Notes to editors

The Impacts plan sets out current and future government action on:

Strong borders:

* A new Single Border Agency and the e-borders programme allowing Government to count people in and out for the first time;

* The Points Based System selecting those migrants who can make a positive contribution to the UK;

* Green Paper on Earned Citizenship - ensuring people coming to the UK earn the right to stay and to become citizens;

Supporting local services:

* A cross-government programme of work led by ONS to improve migration and population statistics - £12m investment.

* £10 million funding for schools through the Exceptional Circumstances Grant for schools with a rapid growth in pupil numbers or a significant number of children who have English as an additional language.

* The Transitional Impacts of Migration Fund to which all local services have access to build capacity to manage migration issues.

* A programme of research on the drivers of migration and the local economic impact to help local services plan better for future changes.

* Work by Homeless Link, funded by CLG to reduce rough sleeping among recent EU migrants in London.

* Reviewing the operation of the private rented sector including House of Multiple Occupation.

* Working with the Improvement and Development Agency on the Migration Excellence Programme to share good practice among local authorities and promote peer mentoring.

* Helping Neighbourhood Policing teams identify and engage with incoming and emerging communities

* Developing proposals on how local partners can prioritise public funding for ESOL to support community cohesion.

Protecting workers:

* Immigration Crime Partnerships and a new civil penalty system for those knowingly employing illegal migrant workers;

* Information on migrant workers rights and the NMW campaign;

* Increasing investment in the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate;

* Work of the Vulnerable Worker Enforcement Forum due to report shortly

Cohesion and Integration:

* £50 million over 3 years spent on community cohesion.

* Development of a single online portal to give local authorities easy access to latest good practice on promoting cohesion and the announcement of our first pilot Specialist Cohesion Team in Breckland.

* Review of Migrant Integration Policy in the UK (including a feasibility study of the proposal for an integration agency) published alongside the impacts plan.

News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom

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