Millions of pounds to be made available to help communities cope with influx of migrants
2 min read
Millions of pounds will be ploughed into communities to help them cope with a large influx of migrants, it has been announced.
The cash will be spent on tackling rogue landlords, helping to alleviate rough sleeping and boosting English classes.
A total of £28m will be distributed around the country from the Government's Controlling Migration Fund, which has now made more than £100m available since it was set up in 2016.
Communities minister Lord Bourne said: "Whether it's tackling rogue landlords who exploit vulnerable migrants, helping new arrivals learn English or supporting care leavers to access education, the Controlling Migration Fund is delivering results across the country and providing services for the benefit of all.
"Each community is unique in the challenges it faces, but the projects we’ve funded have shown that positive change is possible when people come together and think innovatively about how to support the whole community."
Stockport Council used money from the fund to develop a bilingual teaching assistant programme to support children who start school or nursery with little or no English.
Enfield Council has also be given funding for its Operation Rogue Landlord project, which targets enforcement measure in areas where vulnerable residents are most likely to be affected by poor housing conditions, overcrowding and exploitation.
Official statistics show that net migration - the difference between the numbers coming to the UK and the numbers leaving - rose by 283,000 in the year to September last year.
The Government's official policy is still to reduce that number to less than 100,000, but it is likely to be ditched when Theresa May is replaced by either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt.
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