Housing not favouring migrants

This article I might need to do some slight changes, and just for now to keep it like this.

The perception of new arrivals jumping on council housing queues, and being given priority in the waiting list for council accommodation was wrong, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) told the BBC.

Mr Trevor Phillips, head of the EHRC said it is vital for social housing providers and policy makers to convince people the housing system is not in favouring of migrants.

He added: “We have to recognise that people's perceptions are powerful, and we need to foster understanding about what is really happening on the ground.”

He went on by saying public’s concern about the migration impact on social housing is the failure of social housing supply to meet the demands of the population.

“The poorer the area, the longer the waiting lists, therefore the greater the tension.” Mr Phillips told the BBC.

According to an Equality and Human Rights Commission report, once the new arrivals settled and are entitled to help, it adds, the same proportion live in social housing as UK-born residents.

64% of people who arrived in the UK within the last five years live in private rented accommodation.

However, after five years, when many immigrants are able to get residency and become entitled to government help, one in six live in social housing - exactly the same proportion as those who were born in Britain, the BBC has learnt.

Only 11% of new arrivals get help with housing - almost all of them asylum seekers.

On the other hand, the British National Party (BNP) has campaigned heavily on the issue, claiming that British people are being short-changed for housing in favour of newly arrived immigrants, according to the Independent.

Housing minister John Healey told the BBC the changes were designed to tackle the “myth” that the system was unfair.

He then added the changes would get council more “leeway” to deal with specific housing pressures in their areas.

The council will enable to help people who have been waiting the longest or those, in rural areas, who have strong local or family connections.

When speaking about extra 20,000 affordable homes will be built up for the next years, in addition to 90, 000 are already announced, the critics say this is inadequate given the four million people now on a waiting list for homes.

Mr Healey also said it was “wrong” to say the government had been forced into action to counter the BNP's arguments after it succeeded in getting two Euro MPs elected.

The conservatives have accused Labour of “spin”, saying the forthcoming equality bill would make it legal for councils in favouring of local people.

The Lib Dems said the government was trying to "grab headlines" rather than deal with the underlying issues.

Housing spokesman Grant Shapps told the BBC: “Housing waiting lists are at a record high level because of Labour's historic failure to build enough social housing.”

According to the Times, the investigation of the immigration impact - housing allocation was launched in November 2007, after the Conservative Party called for a cap on migrants coming into the UK.

Mr Trevor Phillips, the head of the EHRC has proposed a joint study with the Local Government Association to examine whether immigrants are given any priority in the waiting list for council accommodation.

Local housing provision has become one of the most hotly contested areas of the immigration debate. Mr Phillips wants to assess comprehensively whether there is any truth behind the claim that local white families are discriminated against.