Immigration Incompetence Affects Worcestershire's Councils

11.56.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 2nd Nov 2007

Commenting on the Local Government Association's call for a £250million contingency fund to help councils deal with immigration, local Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Richard Burt said: "The way ministers hold the purse-strings for every public service makes it impossible for the councils in Worcestershire to cope with the rapid changes in population that can be caused by immigration.

"It takes years for any extra money to arrive from the government for those areas with immigrant communities, so it is no wonder some local communities are struggling.

"Ministers' discovery this week of another 300,000 people from abroad working in the UK has highlighted the Government's incompetence in managing immigration.

"Using migrants to fill Britain's skills gap is necessary, but the Government must prepare properly for the impact on local communities and public services. Councils in Worcestershire have been telling Ministers for several years that the national figures were wrong, and that they urgently needed extra help."