POLES GO BACK BUT BRITS PAY THE PRICE - 13th Jan 2009 2:53am
HOUSANDS of Poles who failed to find work in the UK are heading home on planes funded by British taxpayers.
More than 100,000 Eastern Europeans are sleeping rough in Britain because they arrived here without a job offer.
Now the Government is so keen to get them off the streets that it is giving thousands of pounds to councils and charities to fund tickets back to their homeland.
The total cost could eventually hit £1million.
One charity, London-based Thames Reach, has been given £60,000. Its chief executive Jeremy Swain said: “They are often better off back home. We will encourage that.”
Thames Reach’s manager Petra Salva added: “Often alcohol gets in the way or they have other support needs that preclude them getting work.”
But many Brits are furious. Matthew Elliott from the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “The Government should demand proof that people can support themselves if they arrive without a job offer.”
About 480,000 eastern Europeans are registered for work in the UK, but the Polish embassy reckons 600,000 of its citizens live here.
The Department of Communities and Local Government refused to confirm that the cost of sending unhappy Poles home could reach £1m.
More than 100,000 Eastern Europeans are sleeping rough in Britain because they arrived here without a job offer.
Now the Government is so keen to get them off the streets that it is giving thousands of pounds to councils and charities to fund tickets back to their homeland.
The total cost could eventually hit £1million.
One charity, London-based Thames Reach, has been given £60,000. Its chief executive Jeremy Swain said: “They are often better off back home. We will encourage that.”
Thames Reach’s manager Petra Salva added: “Often alcohol gets in the way or they have other support needs that preclude them getting work.”
But many Brits are furious. Matthew Elliott from the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “The Government should demand proof that people can support themselves if they arrive without a job offer.”
About 480,000 eastern Europeans are registered for work in the UK, but the Polish embassy reckons 600,000 of its citizens live here.
The Department of Communities and Local Government refused to confirm that the cost of sending unhappy Poles home could reach £1m.
