Eastern European migrants 'fundamental' to English town's economy » Communities » 24dash.com

Eastern European migrants now make up around a quarter of one English town's population, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said today.

Boston in Lincolnshire has seen a dramatic influx of foreign workers from new members of the European Union such as Poland and the Czech Republic.

Ms Blears told MPs investigating community cohesion that they now made up about 25% of the town's estimated 70,000 residents.

She said representatives of the town had been among those at a recent meeting to discuss the impact and how to deal with the consequences.

"If you talk to Boston, in fact now something like 25% of their population is from Eastern European countries and they've said it is fundamental to their economy: they absolutely need those people for the skills but equally there is a big impact.

"It is difficult to get a national evaluation of that impact; I think what's really important is to drill down into those communities, look where the impact is and then make sure Government and local government are well prepared to be able to support those communities in coping with that pace of change."

The latest figures produced for Ms Blears' department show that only 38% of people in Boston believe people of different backgrounds there "get on".

It is the lowest score in the country and one of 10 below 60% with the national score, in the Government's key indicator of cohesion, standing at 82%.

Ms Blears said the data suggested cohesion was generally at healthy levels.

"In most places, most people feel pretty good in those terms.

"Having said that ... there are some communities where, because of the scale and pace of change that's taken place, are feeling the impact.

"It is absolutely right that we acknowledge that and that as Government, and as local government who have a key role here, we are preparing planning, making sure that we meet that impact."

She said some areas were "coping better than others" with the new arrivals but all needed better central "horizon scanning" of future changes, including the potential for migrant workers to return home to Eastern Europe as economies there improved.

Ms Blears conceded that the Government's data on the local impacts of migration was was "not as up to date as it could be or as comprehensive as it could be".

Work was now under way to ensure the statistics caught up with recent changes, she said, including the possibility of drawing on GP registrations and National Insurance numbers.

Bev Smith, head of community development at Boston Borough Council said: "Our experience in Boston highlights that migrant workers have a vital contribution to make to our local and regional economy but it is vital to ensure public services meet the needs of all people in the area - indigenous and migrant population alike.

"Boston is one of a number of local authorities campaigning for a fairer deal and arguing for better funding for public services in the local area.

"We are part of the Local Government Association steering group on migration and have been talking to Government departments and agencies about managing the impact of the rapid growth in population in our local community.

The Government's Office for National Statistics mid-2006 estimate reveals a local population of 58,300 but in examining GP registrations and National Insurance figures it suggests that there may be as many as 70,000 people living in the borough."