The UK is, in the words of the 1969 Blue Mink hit single, a real ‘melting pot'. And while this leads to overwhelming diversity across much of the country, and a far greater knowledge of other faiths and cultures than every before, migration comes hand in hand with a host of problems, including financial strains on already-stretched councils. The Office for National Statistics has come under huge criticism from councils over migration figures which, they claim, has led to inadequate funding being handed down from the Government. In some cases, councils have stated that they have been plunged into financial despair as they are left rooting through empty local government pockets to find extra money to cope with the strains on services. In May, the leader of Slough Council, Richard Stokes, told The MJ official migration figures were not fit for purpose. ‘Estimates have failed to keep pace with what is happening on the ground, and public services are suffering as a consequence,' he said. Slough has welcomed immigrant labour into its thriving economy, but has been campaigning to have its official figures overturned and its own estimates taken into consideration since 2006. In May, the authority joined forces with Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham LBCs and Kensington & Chelsea RLBC to write to the-then treasury minister, John Healey, urging him to dismiss the ONS statistics when determining council funding. The outcome of which it is still awaiting. A spokesman for the Office for National Statistics explains there is often much confusion over migration statistics because they can be difficult to understand. ‘We do need to improve some data,' he says. ‘There is a group of people for which there are no estimates. ‘When we produce figures, it is for the usually-resident population of an area. And this includes migrants who are living in an area for a year or more. We don't, at present, have short-term migrant data.' He adds that the ONS is now looking at short-term figures and how to improve them, and the department continues to consider improving estimates across the board. ‘For the last seven to eight years, the most important component of change was natural change. In other words, births and deaths. Now, migration is the most important. We are preparing new data, but this is quite complicated.' Last month, the Government announced plans to launch a migration advice pack, which is a joint initiative by the Institute of Community Cohesion and the Department for Communities and Local Government, and was mentioned in the commission's Our shared future report. Speaking at the time as the-then communities secretary, Ruth Kelly said her department wanted a flexible approach by authorities when implementing the recommendations, but she confirmed no extra money would be handed out, and no extra resources had been set aside. She said the move was about ‘simple things'. But the ‘new role' for local authorities includes spending time mapping local areas and local population to understand who lives where and which schools and different religious groups they belong to. Councils should then use this information to strengthen local leadership, learn more about their communities, and better meet their needs. The Local Government Association welcomed the shift towards putting integration high up on the council agenda, and applauded the increasing emphasis being placed on the need to learn English. However, the chairman of the LGA, at the time, Lord Bruce-Lockhart, expressed disappointment over the Learning and Skills Council's decision to restrict its budget to provide English as a second language to overseas learners. With a new communities secretary in the shape of Hazel Blears, and economist Gordon Brown as the new prime minister, councils really are in a state of flux. But, whatever the outcome as the inevitable changes occur, councils are embracing the challenge of strengthening community relations and enjoying finding the local solutions to ensuring community cohesion. n
