(CLG) Government announces £70m fund to support communities with migration

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today (Thursday, 19 March) announced details of a new multi million pound fund to support communities in managing local pressures from migration.

The long term benefit to the UK economy from migration is significant and will be vital to ensuring the UK's economic recovery.

Nonetheless the Government recognises that migration can place short term pressures on local public services including councils, schools, NHS and the police.

Today's announcement - £70m over the next two years - is about ensuring that those pressures are managed effectively for the benefit of the whole community.

Economic migrants and students coming to the UK from outside the EU will be charged a levy in addition to their normal visa application fee. The revenue will form the Migrants Impact Fund. The Fund will mean that migrants are being asked to pay an additional contribution to that which they already make through taxes, to support the communities in which they live.

All regions of England will receive a proportion of the funding. The amount each receives will be weighted towards the areas where international migration has had the greatest short-term impact.

Funding will be allocated to local projects from Government Offices working closely with local partners. It will be targeted at projects which have identified innovative solutions to migration related pressures - where possible involving and benefiting a number of local services. It is not intended to replace mainstream service provision, which already has improved mechanisms for reflecting changes in population.

Projects considered for funding must be able to demonstrate that they bring benefits to the settled as well as the migrant community in an area. For example additional English language provision for migrants will mean reducing the cost to public services from translation and interpretation. Projects might also include taking action against rogue landlords, extra teachers in school with high migrant populations, measures to increase GP registration, or targeted support for policing.

Hazel Blears said:

"Migration brings significant benefits for this country. But it is a complex area never far from heated public debate. That is why we need an honest discussion about it, that acknowledges the local pressures which migration can create in our communities and on our public services.

"It is crucial that we manage migration in an active way and the measures that we are taking across Government are helping to do this.

"The new Migration Impacts Fund, that comes from an extra levy on new migrants as they enter our country, will support local services like health, police, and schools to manage any pressures. It will also help ensure that those who arrive here learn to speak English so they can work to support themselves, get to know their neighbours and participate fully in our society.

"We have a shared responsibility to work together, live together and get along together, whether born in Britain or coming from abroad. I want Britain to be a place where decency, hard work, and respect for the law and for each other are values we all sign up to as citizens. We all have a responsibility to make that happen."

Alongside the new funding Ms Blears and Ms Smith also set out a range of significant and practical actions the Government is taking to maximise the benefits of migration and manage its impact with measures tailored to meet current economic challenges.

These measures are brought together in Managing the Impacts of Migration: Improvements and Innovations. This is an update on the actions Government is taking to crack down on illegal migration (including introducing a single border force) introducing a points-based system to ensure we get migrants with the skills and talents Britain needs, getting tougher with those who outstay their welcome and with those who don't play the by the rules. It also sets out how measures are being taken against those who seek to exploit migrants and continues Government's focus on integration and on ensuring people from different backgrounds get along together.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said

"We are determined to ensure migration works for everyone. Our tough new points system means only those we need - and no more - can come here and its flexibility allows us to raise or lower the bar according to the needs of the labour market and the country as a whole.

"Last month we announced a tightening of the points based system for foreign workers. We've raised the bar to entry for highly skilled migrants and said that employers must have advertised skilled jobs for two weeks in a Jobcentre Plus before they can offer it to a foreign worker. These two changes will mean that only those who make the biggest economic contribution or are filling jobs that people here do not want can come here.

"On top of this, we are now confirming a cash boost - worth £70 million over two years - to help deal with the impacts of migration on a local level. This money will be made available - quickly and directly - to all local services across the country, including police, schools and hospitals."