Oxford City Council hosts seminar on migration

Oxford has grown substantially in recent decades and has become far more diverse. The city’s population is estimated to have reached 161,300 last year and is expected to have increased by 30,000 between 2001 and 2021. A significant part of this growth has been from migration into the city from other parts of the UK, and from overseas.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), international migration was the main reason for the increase in Oxford’s population in 2016 of 747 people. Oxford also has the highest population turnover of the 55 biggest cities in England, in part due to the large student and postgraduate population.

The Migration in Oxford seminar will provide valuable insights about migration patterns, and highlight the experience of how migrants have integrated into the community. It will also hear about the practical experience of providing services to refugees and asylum seekers from a leading local charity, Asylum Welcome, with which Oxford City Council has been working very closely in recent years.

The seminar will be attended by City councillors, other Oxfordshire local authorities, and local partners delivering services within the county – including the University of Oxford and the NHS.

As part of an EU-funded project on best practice in the integration of asylum seekers, researchers from Sapienza University and the University of Salento in Italy will also be attending the seminar.

Councillor Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Oxford is a fast-growing and highly international city. We need to understand where our new communities are coming from and reflect on the challenges that they face in integrating into our society. The high cost of housing is a significant factor facing all those who come to the city, and for many migrants from overseas, access to health and education services can be an important issue. Speakers at the seminar will provide interesting data on best practice policies from the Inclusive Cities project, and will talk about the ways in which Asylum Welcome helps asylum seekers and refugees to become part of the city’s rich demographic tapestry .We are very pleased to welcome our Italian colleagues from the CARONTE project and hope they will find the information about the Oxford experience useful in their research project.”