By HARRY PHIBBSTime to come clean on the real immigration numbers
Even some of Labour's own councils are complaining to the Government that it is not being straight about the levels of immigration – and the resulting strain on public services.
The Government claims that 700,000 of the 1.5 million Poles and others from central and eastern Europe who have come to live here since 2004 have returned to their countries of origin. But council leaders suggest this is a fantasy and that overwhelmingly the new immigrants are still here.
No going back: Councils are challenging official reports that suggest people from eastern Europe stay in Britain for a short time before returning home
The system is in such a mess that figures for population and immigration are entirely unreliable - so local councils are well placed to warn that their populations are much higher than the official figures show.
This puts public services under enormous strain, because the central Government grant to town halls is lower than it should be. Ministerial complacency about future immigration levels also disregards the increase in applications for work permits.
Among the most prominent councils in speaking out is Slough, which is under Labour control. Slough Council says it needs places for the equivalent of four primary schools. ‘There is massive concern,’ says Chief Executive Ruth Bagley. ‘In a couple of years we’re going to need a new secondary school.’
It's not just about numbers but also the added challenge of children arriving without English as their first language. And although this problem has been going on for some time, the Government ignores it.
East London mayor Sir Robin Wales, the directly elected Mayor of Newham, was warning of this three years ago. ‘Our electoral register has gone up by 23,000 over the past few years yet they're saying it's gone down. It's ludicrous,’ he said.
‘We've nothing against migration - it is great for the economy and great for Newham. However, it needs to be properly funded. We would be willing to pay for a census just to rectify these figures. It would cost us a lot of money, but these inaccurate figures are costing us even more.’
The strain clearly falls unevenly. One of the Conservative councils which has not been funded to cope with extra population is Hammersmith and Fulham where I am a councillor. When we raised the issue our opponents accused us of ‘scapegoating’ the Polish community, who had increased in number since the last census - the figures we have to use to calculate the Government's contribution to our Counci’s budget.
Jan Mokrzycki, the President of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain, also had concerns. But when I pointed out to him what the council had actually said he responded: ‘I am happy to say that the blame for the strain which affects the council’s finances is placed where it should be i.e. on the use of outdated figures in the Government’s calculations.’ He added: ‘I therefore wholeheartedly support the efforts of the council to obtain adequate funding for the Borough.’
So, it is not a matter of being anti Polish. It is a matter of fairness. My borough is home to one of Britain's oldest and longest established Polish Communities and so has naturally proved a particularly popular destination for workers from the accession states since EU enlargement in May 2004. The ward I represent includes the Polish Cultural Centre (POSK) only 400 yards from the town hall. We even have a Polish eagle on our Mayoral regalia.
Unfortunately, as with the rest of the country, official Government funding is still based on the borough's population in the 2001 national census. We are not due another census until next year.
As our population is higher than the Government accepts, we are being short changed on funding for such services as refuse collection, libraries, parks, street cleaning and schools.
I would certainly agree that the immigration from eastern Europe has brought considerable economic benefits as well as costs. But the Labour Government has pocketed the increased tax revenue and refused to provide councils with the money for the extra services needed.
Don't blame the Polish plumber or the Bulgarian nanny. Blame the Government.
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