Net migration to West Norfolk falls sharply following EU referendum vote

Net migration to West Norfolk has fallen by more than 40 per cent since the Brexit vote, though more people are still coming here than leaving, official figures show.

Nearly two-thirds of the borough's voters chose to leave the European Union two years ago and immigration has been repeatedly cited as a key issue in the country's decision.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that from July 2015 to June 2016, the month of the EU referendum, 378 more long-term migrants arrived from abroad in the borough than left.

However, in the 12 months after the referendum vote, that figure dropped by 167.

In total, 737 people moved to West Norfolk from abroad and 526 left, leaving the latest net migration figure at 211.

That means West Norfolk’s migrant population is still rising, but at a slower rate than before the referendum. Fewer people are emigrating to the borough from abroad, while more are moving away.

The figures also give details about GP registrations by migrants.

From July 2015 to June 2016, 1,082 patients registered, compared with 1,017 patients in the 12 months after.

The borough's figures also form part of a broader county-wide trend which has seen net migration fall by 30 per cent across Norfolk.

A total of 2,983 more people are estimated to have arrived in Norfolk than those who left in the year to June 2016, compared to 2,118 in the 12 months after the referendum.

While the figures do not give details of where migrants came from, the latest national figures, for 2017-18, show EU migration is at its lowest level since 2012.

Analysts say Britain has become a less attracive option for people moving from abroad since the referendum.

Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said: “The lower value of the pound means that workers coming here for higher wages are getting less than they were in the past, and economic conditions in many of the key EU countries of origin have improved a lot over the past few years.

“Uncertainty about the implications of Brexit may have played a role.”

However, the data suggests the government is still a long way from achieving its stated target of cutting net migration to below 100,000 a year, with current levels at around 270,000. The ONS says non-EU net migration to the UK is now almost three times higher than from the EU.