10.11.17
‘Migration fund’ offers latest £18m payment to fund local integration
A further £18m will be available to councils across England as part of a wider government project to help alleviate the negative effects of migration.
Housing, education and health services are all under increasing pressure from dealing with the introduction of migrant populations into communities.
The money will be used to fund specific plans from councils with high amounts of local migration which will provide English language lessons for the local community and try to combat the growing problem of landlords creating overcrowding properties.
Today’s announcement is part of the £100m Controlling Migration Fund which already saw the award of £15m across authorities earlier this year.
The government is hoping these projects will ease pressure on local services and break down some of the cultural barriers that have developed in communities.
Communities minister Lord Bourne explained the plans: “In some places population change over a short space of time has put pressure on local services and we are clear there are things we can do to address these problems.
“It is great to see so many projects tackling the problems of poor integration in their communities by, for example, allowing migrants to access the benefits of good English. This will create stronger relationships between neighbours and unlock better services for all.”
Boston council in Lincolnshire will receive over £1m to fund a range of integration projects, including additional sport and gym facilities, community sport sessions and the encouragement of volunteering from all communities.
Boston Borough Council leader Cllr Michael Cooper said: “We have been awarded this money in recognition of the impact that migration has had locally. Our partnership will focus on doing things that our residents have told us are important to them.
“We will extend the availability of advice services, enforcement capacity, community leadership and volunteering opportunities and importantly, we will support the development of English language skills to support people to communicate effectively with public services to help save time and money and increase efficiency and effectiveness.”
The full details of councils who will receive funding through this scheme are available here.
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