The view on immigration from a town transformed by it

It's just to accidental Oldham is nary alien to immigration.

It has transformed the town, a spot that has witnessed a faster than mean colonisation emergence betwixt the past 2 Censuses (2011 – 2021) and wherever astir 1 successful 5 residents (17.8%) were calved extracurricular the UK.

So what bash the premier minister's words mean here, erstwhile helium warned that without changes to chopped migration, the UK was astatine hazard of becoming an "island of strangers"?

Yorkshire Street runs consecutive done the municipality centre, and it's present wherever we met John and John.

Between them they've been repairing roads successful Oldham for much than 50 years.

They invited the government's pledge to trim migration.

"We're a spot overrun aren't we, with the NHS and everything," the younger John explains.

"You can't get doctors oregon dentist. And lodging for young people, you can't get connected the market."

The crushed helium gives for struggling to entree these services is simple: "There's conscionable excessively galore people."

But helium recognises the state depends connected overseas labour - "the state needs it don't it" - says the older John.

"Where does the state spell from here. In different 10, 15 years it's going to beryllium a antithetic spot wholly isn't it. "

Concerns astir the gait of alteration are not constricted to those calved and bred successful this portion of the Pennines.

Hussein was calved successful Pakistan and moved present forty years ago. He present runs a thriving mobile telephone store astatine Tommyfield indoor market.

He tells the BBC helium is truthful frustrated with rising migration helium voted for Brexit successful 2016 and has since written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner astir his concerns.

"We are already abbreviated of jobs," helium tells us.

"If we are getting professionals from outside, what are you going to bash astir the professionals successful this country? It means they're going to wounded the moving class."

Back connected Yorkshire Street, we caught up with Michelle Delaney successful the doorway of her charity, Project Pearl.

"This utilized to beryllium a pub, that utilized to beryllium a pub, that up determination was a pub and it's present a takeaway place," she says, pointing to astatine slightest fractional a twelve chickenhearted shops, positive the aforesaid fig again of Eastern European mini marts and Middle Eastern-run barbers.

But Michelle is not disquieted astir the post-Covid alteration connected her precocious street. Her large interest is who volition unit attraction homes and hospitals.

"What volition we bash if we haven't got the nurses, and the doctors, the carers and each the others to bash the jobs that they do, similar they did with my Mum and my hubby erstwhile they were ill," she tells us.

"How volition we manage?"

And it's that question causing heavy interest astatine Pennine Social Care connected Union Street. Directors Violet Gutu and Elliot Sparks simply bash not cognize however they volition cope.

Violet explains that 99% of her enactment depends connected "foreign workers."

"We person tried section recruitment but we've failed successful galore cases," she says.

From their brightly painted offices, this attraction proviso bureau and foundation works successful aggregate areas to enactment those with disabilities and intelligence wellness crises – from providing enactment workers oregon carers, to throwing the doors unfastened for grooming and originative activities.

Without their care, Elliot and Violet some accidental these susceptible children and adults would beryllium near to conflict astir wholly alone.

"The effects could beryllium rather catastrophic."

"The rules alteration but the responsibilities don't," Elliot explained.

"We trust connected bully staff, with bully hearts, who've fixed up their lives, their families to travel present and instrumentality attraction of our susceptible people."

Violet, who came to the UK herself from Zimbabwe implicit 20 years ago, became affectional erstwhile explaining however arrogant she is of her staff.

"So agelong arsenic you're an migrant there's nary appreciation for you whatsoever. There's ever backlash."

The situation for the authorities is to address heavy nationalist concerns connected migration successful the UK, without threatening nationalist services.