Embargoed for 00:01BST on Monday 4th August 2025.
Whilst migration policy is highly salient within UK policy making, the integration of newcomers has a much lower profile. This is a problem as many social questions raised by the impacts of migration ultimately become questions of integration: understanding how we welcome newcomers, how communities deal with the pace of change and how we live well together.
Integration covers both proactive policy interventions and natural processes over time. The UK policy landscape on integration has often been characterised by inertia and a ‘tangled web of responsibilities,’ in particular concerning devolution, where local government has powers but few statutory responsibilities and where funding flows are limited and uncertain.
This brief aims to:
- Set out an initial, rough estimate of allocated costs and expenditure on ‘welcoming’ activities for the integration and inclusion of newcomers (including building community cohesion with longer-standing residents) from 2013/14 to 2023/24, to,
- Set out possible models for future planning on welcoming and inclusion, using the existing funding ‘envelope’ as a baseline for what is possible.
