City spends £2m in two years on extra services for migrants

Published on Wednesday 7 May 2008 10:22

THE number of migrants coming to live and work in Edinburgh has forced the city council to spend £2 million on extra services in just two years, it was revealed today.

A new report from officials has revealed that resources are being strained by the "unprecedented demand" from the influx of – mainly east European – workers, which has led to poorer quality services. Councillors will need to identify more funds to meet the level of demand.

But council leader Jenny Dawe today said the benefits of inward migration still far outweigh the cost to the city, while officials also insisted the city's economic success – particularly in the tourism and catering trade – relies on attracting more foreign workers.

The huge majority of migrants pay local and national tax, and the new report also reveals that just one per cent claim state benefits.

The biggest cost to the council comes from the requirement to teach English as a second language in schools. The number of pupils from the eight EU accession countries has risen from 225 in late 2006 to 766 this year – a 340 per cent increase in just 14 months.

Another significant cost involves caring for the very small number of destitute people from abroad who have no recourse to public funds, such as failed asylum seekers.

The new report, covering the years 2006/07 and 2007/08, used the 2001 census, school roll data, and records of the people accessing council services to reach its conclusions. Between 2001 and 2006, the number of migrants in the city grew by 14,000.

The council's director of corporate services, Jim Inch, said: "Certain council services are significantly affected by inward migration, and are facing levels of demand which is placing a strain on existing resources.

"One of the consequences of this increase in service demand is that the quality of some services is being affected adversely.

"Many of these services are already targeted at addressing existing racial inequality in the city, and this is causing concern in established resident black and minority ethnic communities."

The influx has led to increased costs at the council's Advice Shop and has put more pressure on interpretation and translation services. There has been no major impact on the council's housing department, as most people coming from eastern Europe find private rented accommodation.

However, some migrants are living in flats with three or more tenants – houses of multiple occupation – and the council has issued a number of enforcement notices to unlicensed landlords.

The other significant cost comes from establishing community support groups, which typically offer a blend of language classes, cultural orientation and personal support. Around 220 people access these groups every week.

Councillor Dawe said: "I firmly believe that the benefits to the city of encouraging a diverse mix of residents far outweighs any additional cost to service provision.

"With low unemployment and a booming economy, we will continue to welcome them to build the skilled labour force required to cope with the demands of our growing economy."