Homeless east European migrants are being offered free flights back to their home country by a government-funded scheme set up to combat the rise of shanty towns in rural Britain.
The scheme, known as the National Reconnection Service, is expected to cost about £150,000 and is being trialled in Boston, Lincolnshire, and Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, two towns that have experienced a large influx of migrants seeking work.
In 2008, the government said that a quarter of Boston's population was made up of migrants and that 65 languages could be heard in the streets and fields of the county. Workers came to the Lincolnshire town to pick fruit and vegetables, but the jobs dried up during the recession and many migrants returned home.
However, a significant number have remained, hoping that things would get better. As the economy faltered, some found themselves without work or any entitlement to social security benefits. Ultimately, a number became homeless. As a result, some of Boston's residents now speak of a new phenomenon – shanty towns.
Boston's authorities have become so concerned that they have enlisted the assistance of Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI), an organisation funded by government and local authorities, designed to address the causes of disorder in communities. Its job is to assess the homeless and ascertain if they can get state benefits. If they are not eligible, they can be offered a one-way ticket back to their country of origin.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/07/shanthy-town-migrants-free-flights
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