Local government secretary Ruth Kelly's demand to cut the translation services provided by councils has been attacked as a ‘wild swing in the dark'. Ms Kelly argued that reducing official material being translated, which costs councils around £25m a year, would encourage more immigrants to learn English and improve integration with communities as a result. But Andrew Stunell, Liberal Democrat shadow communities secretary said Ms Kelly had taken a ‘wild swing in the dark' and could leave vulnerable people cut off from mainstream society. ‘She should be talking to her cabinet colleagues and getting English teaching pushed right to the top of the agenda,' he added. Slough Council also challenged the secretary of state. It warned focusing on English language skills may seem ‘sensible' but the council, which has struggled to cope financially with the influx of migrants, said the Government must focus on the bigger picture and correct flawed population statistics. ‘We firmly believe there should be more investment for those people in our community who are willing to learn English,' said Cllr Derek Cryer.
