Trudi Davies The Politics Show South East

Britain is actively recruiting for Eastern European workers

It is one of the new talking points in the pub. Polish shops are the new corner shops.

The Polish bar is the busiest joint in town and plumbers are all Slovakian or Lithuanian... or from one of the other so called "A8" countries that joined the European Union in 2004.

Chojnice, in Poland - in case you were wondering, must be almost empty, if some of the recent reports are to be believed, or at least short of a few plumbers.

So this week we join the debate on immigration as Paul takes to the streets of Kent to ask whether the stories of communities being "swamped" by Eastern Europeans are true.

Are the A8 migrants a positive or negative influence on the South East's economy?

Complex story

As with all these things it depends who you talk to.

The Home Office takes the problem seriously

In July 2006, a Home Office report warned of "potentially serious" consequences if EU migration was proved to be, or even thought to be, depressing wage levels for the low paid.

The findings were leaked to the Daily Mail who highlighted at least six main causes for concern.

These included a vision of Eastern Europeans blocking hospital beds, living rough, becoming drunk and aggressive and being granted council accommodation to keep them off the streets.

A recent headline in The Isle of Thanet Gazette would seem, at first glance, to support this view.

But on closer inspection, the story turns out to be far more complex.

Under the heading "Migrant Workers Forced to Tough it out on Streets and Sand", the paper reported that the Scrine Foundation Soup Kitchen in Cliftonville, regularly helps migrant workers from Eastern Europe.

Although the numbers are not huge, it is another call on the already overstretched and under funded resources that the charity relies on.

Part of the problem arises from government legislation denying migrant workers the right to claim benefit, unless they are working, for the first 12 months of their stay.

Since much of the work they are doing is either seasonal or casual, there are times when they can not work, becoming unable to support themselves.

Workers needed

But it is not necessarily a negative news story.

The workers, firms and developers are crying out for more staff with the right skills Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown, president of North Kent Chamber of Commerce is convinced that Polish workers are a good thing and could help turn North Kent into one of Europe's top mini economies.

"The Thames Gateway," he says, "is one of the biggest development zones in the whole country and needs people here.

"The workers, firms and developers are crying out for more staff with the right skills."

He is supported by Ian Bovington the Managing Director of a Chatham company where 30% of the workforce is Polish. "They are extremely hard working and very diligent," he insisted.

In the South East, The Home Office estimates that there are just over 30,000 Eastern Europeans registered to work.

This does not include the self employed or the unemployed but means that in our region we are housing just under 7% of the UK's total registered A8 population.

In our research, we could not find any evidence of public services in health or education suffering as a result of any influx and employers were almost universal in their praise of the newcomers.

But not everyone is entirely convinced.

Chris from Sheppey sent a text to the programme recently to say: "Here on the island we have a major retail supermarket who have overlooked local unemployed people in favour of eastern Europeans. This is disgusting".

He may not be alone in that view. Local residents have renamed Cliftonville, 'Kosoville'.

Agnes Wrodarczyk runs a recruitment agency in Whitstable.

Nigel Farage is up for the debate

As you would guess, she is Polish herself, and specialises in finding work for other Eastern Europeans.

Agnes says she has been sent a number of "rude" emails from people accusing her of taking jobs from the locals but she is adamant that this is simply not true.

She insists that workers from the former Eastern Bloc are both dedicated and readily available. They take the jobs that the locals do not want or will not do and it really is time that everyone "stopped moaning about it".

Agnes is on our panel of guests on Sunday along with Jeff Brown from the Chamber of Commerce and Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party.

It promises to be a lively debate so please join us and join in by texting or emailing your question to Paul Siegert.

We would like to put your questions and opinions to our studio guests so please text or e-mail via the link below.

In your opinion, are the A8 workers a good or bad thing for the South East?

Text us on 07786 209252

The earlier we receive your comments the more likely we are to get them on air. You don't have to wait until the show has started!

Timbuk who?

The road to...

I remember two things about Timbuktu from my school days, one, it is pretty much in the centre of an atlas of the world and two, it is a long way from anywhere. - as in... "You're late, where have you been? Timbuktu?"

However, when challenged in the office this morning to name the country in which it is located I was completely unable to answer.

It's Mali. But it would seem I am not alone.

Timbuktu is twinned with towns in both France and Germany and now they are looking for one in the UK.

Apparently they are worried that the town is unrecognised over here and the authorities in Timbuktu hope that by twinning with somewhere they will raise its profile.

TIMBUKTU IN PICTURES Welcome to my home in Timbuktu... an oasis in the Saraha In pictures

So Paul takes to the streets to ask which town in the region should be nominated. If there is a front runner we may even go to the council and suggest it next week.!

Think your town would be a perfect twin for Timbuktu? Let us know and we'll start a league table. Text us on 07786 209252 or email us via the link below.

News and Views...

Rebecca Smith, Editor of The Isle of Thanet Gazette, joins Paul for a look at the stories making the political news in the South East this week.

How cared for are the memorials in our area?

War Memorial survey

As Remembrance Sunday approaches again we want to find out about the state of the region's War Memorials.

If you pass one every day or have one in your town please e-mail Liz at the Politics Show office on [email protected] or write to us at: Politics Show, Lambent Productions, The Media Centre, 21-22 Old Steyne, Brighton, BN1 1EL

Health and Safety gone mad?

Later in the programme series, we will be also be looking at the huge amounts of health and safety rules affecting all aspects of our lives.

In Hythe, hopes of a November 5th with a bonfire have been extinguished due to health and safety fears.

Please contact Liz if you have any similar stories to tell.

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The Politics Show South East

Join the Politics Show team on Sunday 22 October 2006 at 12:00 BST on BBC One.

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