Migration matters in the South East

APPG, Topical meetings
Non-members welcome
Monday, 20 September, 2021
14:30
Microsoft Teams
Two men in a meeting | Councils in Partnership - South East Councils

Details

Migration matters in the South East - Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Syria and more…

For this meeting, members were joined by the following invited guests:

Cllr Roger Gough
Leader, Kent County Council
Chair, South East Strategic Partnership for Migration

Roy Millard
Head of Team
South East Strategic Partnership for Migration

David Williams
Chief Executive
Portsmouth City Council
Board, South East Strategic Partnership for Migration

 

The UK Government pledge to accommodate 20,000 Afghanistan refugees has brought fresh interest in migration.

While unauthorised Boat Crossings in the English Channel regularly receive news coverage and shape public views about ‘migration’ there is so much more about ‘migration’ that is often overlooked and/or under reported.

For example, while beaches in Kent or airports in Sussex may often be the main points of entry for those with an unclear or unknown immigration status, the South East England region has one of the lowest levels of asylum dispersal in the UK.

In the South East, like other English regions, local councils work closely with a Strategic Partnership for Migration (SPM) to lead on local migration activity. Each SPM is primarily funded by the Home Office (with other department allocations for specific projects) to play an advisory and coordinating function.

  • South East Strategic Partnership for Migration (SESPM) is one of the twelve Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships across the UK (one in each English region and one in each devolved administration).
  • SESPM is hosted by South East Councils and its work covers all 70 local authority areas in the region. www.secouncils.gov.uk/about-us/migration-partnership

View the slide deck presentation from this meeting.

This discussion

The meeting will last one hour in total, providing an opportunity to hear directly from the specialists and local authority figures involved in coordinating and managing migration across the region of South East England.

Members may wish to discuss the latest developments, issues and concerns related to Migration generally and/or relate matters that may be more local to their constituencies.

The meeting offers a timely opportunity to probe what Parliament, and Government, could, or should, do on the topic going forward.