Migrants: 'Councils need extra £250m'

Councils need an extra £250 million each year to cope with the pressure put on public services by migrants, a new report has said.The cross-party Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned the Institute of Community Cohesion to investigate numbers and said statistics need overhauling.The LGA is now calling for the extra funding as some councils complain the real number of migrants is underestimated, leading to a cash shortage and extra pressure on services such as schools and hospitals.For example, Westminster City Council claims at least 24,000 people have been missed.School records, GP registrations and National Insurance numbers should instead be used to give a more accurate picture of the number of foreigners, the report said.It follows confusion over Government figures which stoked a row over the accuracy of official data on migrant workers.LGA chairman Sir Simon Milton said: "Official statistics on how many migrants are coming and where they are going are inadequate."No one has a real grasp of where, or for how long, migrants are settling, so much-needed funding for local services isn't getting to the right places."The speed and scale of migration, combined with the shortcomings of official population figures, is placing pressure on funding for services like children's services and housing. This can lead to unnecessary tension and conflict."He added: "The evidence shows that industries such as fruit picking and residential care would risk collapse without migrant labour."The problem is that the money that is being generated isn't necessarily finding its way back down to the local level."© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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ITN | November 1, 2007

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