| |
Eastern Europeans denied help to kick hard
drug habits
STRUGGLING immigrants are increasingly testing positive for drugs while social services is powerless to help them.
Jobless migrants are being refused help because they are not in the council’s remit.
More and more Romanians and Bulgarians, who have come to this country since the European Union was widened in January, are being found to be hard drug users.
The council believes more than 2,000 Eastern European migrants arrive at Victoria Coach Station a week.
But this evidence was blasted as ‘anecdotal’ by Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg who believes few are settling in expensive Westminster.
A pioneering scheme drug testing all petty criminals would normally place them immediately in a mandatory rehabilitation process.
But government restrictions mean they are not being treated.
A council spokesman said dozens were being sent back to the street, often to commit the same offences in a matter of hours.
Westminster is calling for more cash or for the Government to stem the flow of jobless migrants coming to the country.
Cllr Ian Adams, cabinet member for health and adult social services, said the Government must take responsibility for the problem.
He said: “This is a problem created by Central Government that should, and could, be solved by Central Government.
“Westminster Council is facing both barrels from the Government. Not only have they cut funding for our Drug Intervention Prog-ramme, which has proved it can make significant progress, but they have also failed to take responsibility for the problems we are now encountering at the hand of struggling accession nationals.” |
 |
|
| |
| |
