The Rural Economy
Agricultural & Migrant Workers Policy Development
Panel
Since the 2004 report (see below) Wychavon District Council has
maintained a keen interest in the role of migrant workers within
agriculture and horticulture.
In 2008, the panel was re-convened with the following terms of
reference:
- To improve awareness of the scale and characteristics of
migrant workers in the area and examine their impact on local
communities and services, including housing, employment, health and
education. Measure to manage this impact will be examined.
- To continue to investigate, and to promote, best practice in
dealing with lorry generating uses in the distribution sector,
including options for relocation, such as to Vale Park
- To further analyse the implications high volume food packing
and distribution uses on the character of rural areas and provide
an evidence base for the development of the policy framework for
these uses through the South Worcestershire Joint Core
Strategy
- To continue to ascertain the effect, in terms across the board,
of the continually changing practices of growers and employers in
the District
The panel found many things that have changed since the previous
report, for example the development of the Gangmasters Licensing
Authority has brought clear benefits and some administrative
burdens to employers which are covered in the report. Other
recommendations have not been implemented – but are as relevant now
as they were in the earlier report.
You can see the full report by clicking on the link below.
You can also see the appendices, which are only available on
line, by clicking on the appendices link.
For more information on this report please contact Chris Brooks
on 01386 565343 or chris.brooks@wychavon.gov.uk
Accompanying Documents
migrant_workers_report.pdf (551.22
KB)
Appendix i 1 Wychavon Migrant workers mini scenarios
report (752.90 KB)
Appendix i 2 Wychavon Migrant Workers Mini Scenarios
Report (974.70 KB)
appendix_ii.pdf (58.25 KB)
appendix_iii.pdf (168.11
KB)
appendix_iv.pdf (3.71 MB)
appendix_v.pdf (1.98 MB)
appendix_vi.pdf (492.07
KB)
appendix_vii.pdf (1.26
MB)
appendix_viii.pdf (30.26
KB)
appendix_ix.pdf (14.95 KB)
appendix_x.pdf (6.39 KB)
Migrant Workforce
The Extent, Size and Characteristics of the Migrant
Workforce in the Vale of Evesham
In February 2004, Wychavon District Council published a report
from the Vale of Evesham Agriculture and Food Distribution Policy
Development Panel. This panel looked into a range of issues such as
use of lorries and the impact of the industry on communities in the
Vale of Evesham.
The report, Vale of Evesham
Agriculture and Food Distribution Policy (881.37 KB)
is avalible to view. Recommendation 37 of this report supports the
call for Government to carry out detailed research into accurate
measurement of the numbers of casual workers in the Food and
Farming sector. It goes on to state that the Vale of Evesham
would make an appropriate pilot study.
This research is the culmination of that pilot. Using
funding from the Countryside Agency and from our partners at the
Diocese of Worcester and South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust,
Wychavon District Council commissioned Mercia Research &
Strategy to carry out the work. Susan Lanz and Rob Gullen from
Mercia have interviewed local companies who use migrant labour, a
labour provider, local colleges, the housing department at Wychavon
District Council, and met individual migrants. Their report
highlights the fact that migrants are often skilled workers with
aspirations to move into other areas once they have improved their
language skills, and that they make a positive contribution to the
economy. They will often need support in accessing health
care, and there are many myths and misunderstandings within the
workforce as to when they are able to do this. They also want
to access English language courses. The rate of people
applying for English as a Second Language courses at Evesham
College rocketed ten-fold following the accession of former Eastern
Bloc countries into the EU from May 2004.
This report was succesfully launched on Tuesday 25th
April 2006 at the Wychavon Civic Centre in Pershore.
You can now download the Full
Report (364.32 KB) or the.Executive
Summary (50.70 KB)
If you would like more information on this subject,
please contact
Jane Dobson
Economic Development Office at Wychavon District Councill
Telephone: (01386) 565278
Email: jane.dobson@wychavon.gov.uk
One of the recommendations of the research is Wychavon District
Council should work with other Local Authorities where migrant
labour is an issue. In fact we do have working links, particularly
with South Holland in Linconshire. Relationship were developed
during the process of writing the Vale of Evesham Agriculture and
Food Distribution Policy. This led to a wider partnership with a
number of private, public and voluntary sector bodies, and the
submission of the 'Migralink' European Social Fund bid in July 2004
This bid was widely believed to be strong and to have a good chance
of success. It was disappointing therefore to be told that the bid
had failed, especially in the context of no rural bids at all being
funded under the Equal programme.
The lack of funding put a brake on activities, but South Holland
District Council have continued to do a great deal of work on
migrant labour issues, and have now developed the website http://www.migrantworkers.co.uk/.
Our report is available on this website, and we are revitalising
our relationship with South Holland and other Local Authorities in
the East of England, and are also seeking to share more information
with our near neighbours in Herefordshire. We hope their website is
a great success, and will continue to contribute to it.
Updated Research October 2008
Wychavon District Council has been working with the Improvement
and Development Agency, or I&DeA, on the Migration Excellence
programme. As part of this programme we have produced a ‘mini
scenarios’ report looking at the possible impact on the economy and
on local communities of changes in numbers of migrant workers
coming to Wychavon.
It is clear that the public and private sector will have to work
to attract migrants to the area in the face of stiff competition
from other parts of the UK, in particular Kent and the South East.
In order in particular for our farming and food production to
prosper, conditions have to be attractive to potential employees.
This and a number of other factors are clear from the full
report and the executive summary.
I&DeA
Executive Summary (69.63 KB)
I&DeA
Full Report (753.24 KB)
I&DeA
Data Appendix (997.26 KB)
If you have any questions at all on this work, please contact
either Chris Brooks on 01386 565343 or chris.brooks@wychavon.gov.uk
or Jane Dobson on 01386 565278 or jane.dobson@wychavon.gov.uk
Farmers Markets
The Council continues to promote rural food businesses with its
support for Farmers’ Markets. A full programme has been arranged of
regular markets, and special event Farmers’ Markets in Evesham,
Pershore and Droitwich Spa.
For more details including venues, dates and
times please click here.
The Rural Hub
Farmers and growers in Northwest Worcestershire originally set
up the Rural Hub. Today it is a non-profit making organisation of
individual farmers and growers, and representatives from public and
private sector companies, who have an interest in securing a viable
and sustainable future for Worcestershire’s rural economy.
A full-time facilitator and part-time administrator are based in
Pershore, and funded by Defra. They are available to assist farmers
and rural businesses in applying for funding under the Rural
Enterprise Scheme, introduced by Defra in 2000 as part of the
England Rural Development Programme. If you are considering
applying for a RES grant and require further assistance with your
application, or would like more information on becoming a Rural Hub
member contact Mark Hall on 01386 553701.
Rural Enterprise Grant
A guide to Rural
Enterprising in the West Midlands. (399.92 KB)
