A RISE in immigration has prompted council leaders to appeal for extra funding to cope with the surge.

A disparity in the number of immigrants living in the area is putting a strain on local services, a report by the Local Government Association claims.

Close to 1,900 international migrants are recorded as arriving in Bromley last year, according to official figures.

However, in the same period, more than 2,000 migrants registered for a GP, and 10 per cent more registered from overseas for a national insurance number.

Public services run by the local authority now spend an average of £40,000 a year on residents who cannot speak English.

Part of the problem, according to a survey of all 410 councils in England and Wales, is the lack of government funding for the rise in migration levels.

The council receives no extra funding or grants to deal with the increasing demands on its services as a result of this migration.

Bromley council has admitted it has no real way of calculating the number of immigrants living in the borough, unless they register with a doctor or school in the area.

A council spokesman said the authority had not had any immigration funding for five years.

For more on this story see this week's Bromley Extra.