Edinburgh: Devolved immigration policy? All parts of the UK need to feel that the Government acts in the interests of its local population
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
Our last Scottish citizens’ panel was held in Edinburgh. In all our visits north of the border, we have asked participants if the Scottish Government should be given control over immigration policy. This last weekend, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for Scotland to be given powers over immigration. So we thought it would be timely to reflect on views on the devolution of immigration powers among our Edinburgh participants and our other Scottish citizens’ panels. Until relatively recently, Edinburgh has had a proportionally smaller migrant population than many other big cities. Despi ..read more
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Immigration and Integration: Getting it Right Locally
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
It’s in everyone’s interests that we get integration right in Britain. And there’s clearly work to do: our society is more anxious, fragmented and polarised than any of us would like. It’s a ‘State of the Nation’ challenge at national level: integration matters to all of us, not just to migrants and minorities. But getting it right at national level is, at best, only half of the picture. Integration happens where we live: at regional, local and neighbourhood level. It is local authorities, charities, churches and community organisations that are doing the work to bring people together. So how ..read more
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Bedford: Illegal immigration, Windrush, and public compassion
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
Our last visit of the National Conversation on Immigration was to Bedford, a town that has welcomed waves of immigrant from Italians and Indians after the Second World War, to more recent arrivals from Eastern Europe. Today, estimates suggest that nearly 18% of the town’s population has been born overseas, with many more having recent family history of migration. Bedford is home to one of the biggest Italian populations outside of Italy and the largest Sikh Gurdwara in the United Kingdom. The town has a strong culture of volunteering, and we heard about some of the excellent work that is ..read more
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Berwick-upon-Tweed: In order to win back public trust on immigration, business in the UK needs to consider its role and responsibilities
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland was our fourth and final destination for our visits to the North East. Just two miles south of the border, administration of the town has passed between England and Scotland changed hands at least 13 times in its history. It is a market town and the largest settlement in the area. Consequently, Berwick’s residents, and those who work or shop in the town, are both English and Scottish. Our citizens’ panel reflected this mix and was made up of those who identified as English and those identified as Scottish, living and working both north and south of the bor ..read more
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Yeovil: Information on immigration needs to be clear, accessible and trusted
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
The National Conversation’s last visit in the South West was to Yeovil, a town of 45,000 in South Somerset. Our conversation in Yeovil valued the contribution of EU migrant workers, who they saw propping up the local health service as well as agricultural industries, but also held some concerns about a perceived unfairness of migrants having preferential access to welfare benefits and public services. “The hospitals wouldn’t run if we didn’t have doctors from abroad, but I do see a strain on the schools, with kids coming in who can’t speak English” Yeovil is an area with no substantial histor ..read more
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Bexley: Talking about Calais
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
We have recently visited Bexley where asylum was a high profile issue for our citizens’ panel, much more so than in many other locations we have visited. Our participants were sympathetic to the plight of refugees, but were concerned about the situation in Calais and the arrival of clandestine migrants in this part of London. “I honestly don’t know whether the people who say they are refugees are refugees. I know that a lot of people are. It’s you get people coming over who aren’t. You hear, again, I don’t know if it was spin or not, people who are lying about their age or that they’ve got fa ..read more
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Aberystwyth: welcoming newcomers and preserving local culture
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
We returned to Wales this week and visited Aberystwyth, a university town in Ceredigion, a predominantly rural local authority. Although our citizens’ panel thought that migration had brought benefits to this part of West Wales, they were also concerned about cultural change and threats to the Welsh language. “I agree with the benefits and the business side of things, but culturally I think immigration has had a negative impact on Wales. I don’t want to sound nationalistic and there are positive aspects of immigration, but culturally it has been negative.” (Citizens’ panel participant). Abe ..read more
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Lincoln: Why language matters
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
Our last East Midlands visit was to Lincoln where our much of citizens’ panel discussion focused on language barriers. From being a non-diverse cathedral city some 25 years ago, Lincoln and its environs have seen the arrival of significant numbers of both EU migrants and international students. The pace of change has caused some tension in the city. Lincoln’s population now numbers 96,000, of which 11% of people are estimated to have been born overseas.  The migrant population includes about 1,400 international students studying in the two universities based in Lincoln and over 6,000 EU ..read more
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Grimsby: attitudes to immigration have “everything to do with opportunities”
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
Grimsby, a seaport town in North Lincolnshire, was the National Conversation’s last visit to Yorkshire and Humberside. Here where we met with stakeholders and local people to discuss migration. The citizens’ panel in Grimsby considered immigration to bring both positive impacts and challenges, although the panel voiced many concerns about migration and felt that negative impacts outweighed what they saw as benefits. The majority of the panels’ concerns about migration related to loss: of public resources and housing, of jobs, and of identity: “They’re [migrants are] just coming in and taking ..read more
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Ballymena: How do attitudes to immigration in Northern Ireland compare with the rest of the UK?
National Conversation Blog
by admin
3y ago
  Our final National Conversation on Immigration visit in Northern Ireland was to Ballymena, a town of 30,000 people near to the North Antrim coast. The citizens’ panel we met had constructive and balanced views about migration and believed that it had brought both benefits and some challenges to Northern Ireland. “I just think there are positive and negative aspects [of immigration] in my mind. When I was working with people of different nationalities… I was in the health service, and they certainly have a lot to contribute, but then there are obviously down sides to immigration, a lot ..read more
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