Accessing Slough's services
Slough Borough Council and the Safer Slough Partnership are hosting a Polish information evening next Tuesday (17th April from 6.30 to 9pm) to welcome the town’s new Polish community and give them all the information they need to access local services.
The event which will be held in the Polish Catholic Centre on Pitts Road will have representatives on hand from housing services, the community wardens, adult learning, East Berkshire College, Thames Valley University, Berkshire East Primary Care Trust, Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue, Job Centre Plus and the Citizens Advice Bureau.
All of the services will be there to answer questions and give out information about what they can offer to people in Slough, from how to get your child into school and get on a course, to reporting crime to the police. These are the same services that are available to all residents in Slough, but when you are new to a country it is difficult to know where you go to for service information.
Slough Borough Council estimates that at least 10,000 Polish migrants have moved to Slough to work since 2004. However, government projections say the town’s population has been decreasing for the past four years.
Slough had the ninth fastest growing population in the country at the 2001 census. Since 2001, flawed annual population estimates have now made the town the second fastest depopulating in the country. This runs contrary to local data sets such as schools rolls and council tax which suggest a strong growth in population.
The council estimates it could lose as much as £15million in local government grant up to the next census in 2011 if the population estimates are not put right.
Anne Farmer, community safety officer, said: “This event is important to ensure that our new Polish community know what services are on offer, and how they can be accessed.
“With so many people moving to the town in a short space of time, it is vital that they are embedded into the life of the town, and know where to go if they have a problem or need help.
“I am really pleased so many organisations are involved in this event.”
Slough Borough Council has been advertising the event through posters at the Polish Catholic Centre and in Polish grocery stores in the town centre and Farnham Road. Refreshments have been kindly provided by local Polish stores and through a donation from Tesco.
Slough Borough Council