Herefordshire’s migrant and seasonal workers are to benefit from a boost in local support services thanks to a successful bid made by Herefordshire Council.
Working with colleagues in neighbouring Worcestershire, Herefordshire Council has been awarded £258,600 from the Migration Impact Fund, with promises of further funding next year.
The government introduced the Migration Impact Fund earlier this year alongside an announcement about the significant long term benefits migration brought to the UK economy which will be vital to ensuring the UK's economic recovery.
The fund was developed in recognition that migration can place short term pressures on local public services including councils, schools, NHS and the police. As a result, economic migrants and students coming to the UK from outside the EU are now charged a levy in addition to their normal visa application fee which forms the Migration Impact Fund. The fund will mean that migrants are being asked to pay an additional contribution to that which they already make through taxes, to support the communities in which they live.
Gaining access to services has proved difficult for many people who are new to the county. Research indicates that many migrant workers do not know how to register with a GP or who to contact with housing concerns. Access to English language courses can be difficult and with more than 500 children in the county not having English as their first language, some schools struggle to provide the support needed.
To help migrant workers integrate into the local community, sources of help and support need to be accessible: some need assistance with form filling, getting their child a place at school or nursery, accessing medical services or understanding their rights and how to assert them in relation to housing and other issues.
The local funding will pay for projects which will focus on helping schools support the needs of children who need language assistance, providing emergency support for those who become unemployed and need to return home, and exploring alternative ways of delivering basic education in order to address gaps.
Translators are becoming increasingly essential to newcomers who are trying to access services and settle in to new communities. To improve local translation and interpreting services in Herefordshire, the fund will also pay for a number of bespoke courses to allow local people to train as interpreters.
In addition, there will be some money to spend on a project worker to pull all the projects together and monitor effectiveness, and some money earmarked for groups in the voluntary sector working on community integration projects.
Carol Trachonitis, equality and diversity manager, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this money – it came in recognition of the work Herefordshire Council has already done in managing the transitional impacts of migration.
“The grant has come from a migrant worker levy collected nationally and is not funded by local or national taxation.
“It is imperative that people working in our county have access to key services such as health, education and housing. We also want to make sure that they become part of the local communities they live in and enjoy rich social and cultural experiences.”
“Thanks to the success of our bid, we will be able to deliver some significant projects which will build the county’s capacity to provide help and support for migrant workers both now and in the future.”