Agenda item

(Item 8 – report of the Leader of the County Council)

The Cabinet received a report of the Leader of the Council seeking approval to commission a report researching the likelihood of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals settling in Kent when transitional restrictions on the free movement of labour, currently in place for these nations, was lifted on 1^st January 2014.  In addition should the report find that this was likely, it would consider the potential impacts on Kent County Council and any strategic planning that may be necessary.

Mr Carter introduced the report for Cabinet, he explained:

·    That he had requested that this issue be brought to Cabinet for consideration as, alongside other changes currently in progress, such as those affecting the benefit system and the potential impact on the affordability of homes in London or the placement of vulnerable young people in Kent by London Boroughs, there was increasing potential for the demographics of Kent to shift dramatically.

·    That the debate regarding immigration from A2 nations had largely focused on the potential impact to the South East of England and London.  Kent had featured particularly as a gateway county and the opportunity for Bulgarians or Romanians to arrive via the county and then settle here was real.  Predictions were not available but information contained within the report regarding the A8 states could provide a guide.

·    The combination of all factors mentioned must be monitored in order that the county took only its fair share of challenging families and communities, or received additional support from the government.  Kent County Council would continue to campaign for additional resources.  To this end the council had already pursued two actions; firstly written correspondence had been entered into with the Prime Minister to highlight current concerns and suggested solutions and secondly officers had been instructed to monitor the impact of the changes already in place.  This report would further the strategic planning in place by seeking to commission further research.

·    In addition to the County level approach, the Prime Minister had spoken of creating limiting access to healthcare and benefits on arrival for those immigrants arriving from the A2 nations and this may help to further manage the numbers of people who arrive. 

Mr David Whittle, Head of Policy and Strategic Relations was in attendance to speak to the report, having authored it, and brought the following points to the attention of Cabinet:

·    That the work conducted to date had been conducted against a very low evidence base. Access to information held nationally was restricted and that lack of evidence presented challenges.

·    That the reason that debate to date had focused largely on the impact of the movement of A2 nationals on the South East of England and London was owing to the expected economic nature of the migration and  the relative economic success of those areas in comparison to the rest of the country.  In addition it was predicted immigrants would seek to join established communities and these were already located in these areas.  This differs from the effects of immigration from A8 countries which was spread more evenly across the country. 

·    The report suggested that research be undertaken and monitoring arrangements be established.   Officers would investigate research already commissioned at the University of Reading by South East Councils in order to ascertain its relevance to Kent.  If the report commissioned was not relevant independent research would be commissioned or conducted by Kent.

·    That monitoring arrangements to begin after the transitional arrangements were lifted were likely to initially focus on national insurance numbers and labour market surveys, but as had been raised previously, gaining access to national information was difficult owing to issues such as data protection legislation.  Therefore important work would be needed at a local level to monitor demand for housing and other services.  He also reported that an information sharing protocol between the London Borough Councils and those in the South East would enable proper checks on movement and need pertaining to welfare changes and this could be extended to included information on A2 migrants.

Following a statement and question from the Leader about housing pressures and the additional needs of immigrants for social housing, Brian Horton, Strategic Housing Advisor for KCC, joined the table and spoke to the item. 

He reported that strong relationships with the 13 housing authorities (including Medway) had been established and a commitment to shared approaches had been formed.  He suggested that in writing to the prime minister the leader may consider adding to the issues already raised a request that information sharing with the DWP be created and formalised, perhaps in statute.  He reiterated the concerns expressed already about the lack of evidence available and the unknowns that made strategic planning difficult.   

The issue was opened for further discussion.

The Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services, Mrs Jenny Whittle, agreed with comments previously made and further commented:

·                That the transient nature of some immigrant communities made strategic planning difficult and new ways of working and monitoring should be sought.

·                That an information sharing protocol was welcomed but that work was still needed in the area of information sharing with social services information and placements.  It would need to be strengthened by inclusion in legislation.

·                That in addition to the pressures discussed previously the Council had recently, at the request of the Government, signed the Care Leavers Charter which would further increase budgetary pressures at KCC.  She suggested that continued representations to government for funding in relation to these additional pressures be made.

The Leader referred to a report on Planning Policy in Nottingham where social housing was barred until owner occupation in those areas had reached certain levels.  He speculated that this kind of approach would be needed by the planning authorities in Kent should projects like LIVE Margate succeed

Gordon Cowan, Leader of the Labour group, spoke to the item.  He agreed that the potential impact of immigration from A2 nations, after transitional arrangements had been lifted was real and could be profound, therefore early planning was essential.  He believed that the government should release the predicted figures of migration from those countries to Britain that were currently available, even if they were speculative.  He regarded close and joined up working between central and local government and between different local authorities to be essential, to the protection of the interest of residents of Kent whilst meeting the legal requirements of the EU.  He felt that it was important to note the figures on employment of those migrants who had settled in Britain from the A8 countries, in 2004 there were estimated 125,000 A8 nationals residing in Britain and of those 52,000 were working, a percentage of 41.6%.  By 2011 this figure had risen to one million with the percentage working now at 63.3%, proof that migrants in this country were contributing to the economy. 

Dan Daley, representing the Liberal Democrat group praised the report and the forward thinking nature of the proposed research.  He was in agreement about the potential impacts identified but urged Cabinet and officers to research further the potential positive impact of A2 immigration.  He gave as an example the potential boost of skilled workers in the horticultural field, an area in which Kent was suffering a shortage of skilled workers.  He acknowledged, as had previous speakers, that the unknowns in the equation made planning more difficult both in order to protect Kent from any negative impact and to exploit positive impacts.

Mr Mike Whiting welcomed the recommendation to commission the research described.  He was disappointed that the Government would not provide any forecasts regarding the numbers of people from A2 nations that may take residence in Britain and in particular, Kent.  He argued that even if the numbers were low a disproportionate settlement in Kent would still create high demand for services that must be met.  In conclusion, and in response to Mr Daley, he reported that Hadlow College continued to work towards the upskilling of Kent residents in the field of horticulture and that this work alongside any skilled workers arriving from the A2 nations would hopefully enable the industry to thrive again.

The Leader confirmed to Cabinet and guests that he would write to the Prime Minister about the issue, and that this letter would include particular emphasis on the reduction of incentives for immigration which may negatively impact on the country or the county, such as early access to benefits and health care. 

It was RESOLVED: