London faces greater pressures on housing, hospitals and schools when Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants arrive in the New Year, a report said today.
Most of those exercising their right to live and work will head for the capital because there are already sizeable communities here, said the study by the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research.
Almost six in 10 Bulgarians and Romanians in the country live in London — particularly in Brent, Newham, Harrow, Barnet and Waltham Forest.
IPPR senior research fellow Alex Gennie said: “We are assuming that large numbers might come in.
“We need to be prepared in the places that might see large numbers, which are London and the South East. We would expect more people to come to these areas.
“There might be pressures on school places and public services from these inflows.”
The Tory leader of Harrow, Susan Hall, urged David Cameron to help boroughs if the numbers overwhelm local public services.
“We are very concerned,” she said. “We have absolutely no idea how many might be coming. That makes it extremely difficult to plan.”
The IPPR report also warned of “pressure on the lower end of the private rented sector” of London housing.
It called for a Cabinet-level committee on the impacts of EU migration, which it suggested should hold regular meetings in London and areas experiencing high levels of immigration.
