Shropshire Star

Shropshire Council to be given £85,000 to support areas facing pressures linked to migration

Shropshire Council will be handed about £85,000 from the Government to support areas facing pressures linked to recent migration.

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The funding comes from the Government’s Controlling Migration Fund and will be used to tackle rogue landlords, help to alleviate rough sleeping or boost community integration through English language lessons.

It is part of a £28m pot being given to certain local authorities across England, bringing total funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Controlling Migration Fund to more than £100m.

Birmingham City Council is set to receive £1,222,380 and Shropshire Council will get £84,689.

Sandwell Council is set to receive £1,148,188 from the fund, while Walsall Council will get £344,696, and Wolverhampton Council is set to get £223,421.

City of Wolverhampton Council has been successful in the bid which will support its English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Pathways Project.

The initiative has been developed by the council’s skills team in partnership with the city’s ESOL Strategy Group, Wolverhampton Learning Platform, and Adult Education Wolverhampton.

Employment

The funds will be used to support new arrivals in the city and the existing migrant population with the skills they need to seek employment and improve their life skills.

The project will enable them to develop new skills, particularly English language skills within their own neighbourhoods, providing them with their first steps into learning and further education.

Councillor Mike Hardacre, cabinet member for education and skills, said: “This is great news for the work we are doing with new communities.”

“We are a city of diverse cultures and we wish to celebrate those cultures, bring them together and harness their creativity and productivity for the wider benefit of Wolverhampton.”

“This will enrich our wider community and help to establish a cohesive, supportive and friendly community where everyone can thrive.”

The programme will be delivered within community settings and will use informal learning techniques such as chatter groups and taster sessions to introduce people to learning and employment.

It will provide stepped progression routes, supporting individuals with confidence building, cultural awareness, information advice and guidance, employability skills, and digital and IT awareness.

The latest funding, announced by Communities Minister Lord Bourne, will be allocated to 123 projects across England.

He 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.”

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