Please write to your MP to express concern about the Government’s proposal to limit entitlement to publicly-funded ESOL provision to members of ‘settled communities’, as announced in the recent Comprehensive Spending Review.
There is currently no details regarding who qualifies as a member of ‘settled communities,’ which leads to concerns about the exclusion of people such as asylum seekers, migrant workers, or refugees. A reduction in entitlement could result in a large number of currently eligible people being denied access to classes.
It is widely acknowledged that ESOL classes make a pivotal contribution to the goals of community cohesion and integration. We fear that marginalising ESOL provision will further disadvantage already vulnerable groups in our society.