COSLA: Written Evidence RTS5782
Scottish local-government evidence on NRPF, integration, equalities risks and devolved service pressure.
Summary
COSLA's written evidence RTS5782 gives the Scottish local-government view of Earned Settlement. COSLA represents all 32 Scottish councils and hosts Scotland's Strategic Migration Partnership and the Hong Kong Welcome Hub.
Its submission assesses the proposed longer routes, language requirements and contribution factors through social work, housing, homelessness, immigration advice, employability, health and social care, ESOL, population, violence against women and girls, integration and community cohesion. The evidence is especially strong on NRPF and local authority cost.
4 million in 2023-24 supporting households with NRPF under statutory duties. It says longer settlement routes and wider use of NRPF would extend the period in which families are excluded from Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and mainstream support, increasing homelessness and destitution risk. It also cites NRPF Network data showing long support periods for adults with care needs and families. COSLA further warns that complex rules and repeated applications increase demand for immigration advice in a system already marked by legal-aid shortages. It says penalties for change-of-conditions applications could deter families from accessing public funds even where welfare needs justify them, shifting costs to councils. The evidence therefore links Earned Settlement to Scottish local-authority finance, homelessness duties, social work capacity and devolved integration policy.
Why this matters for the archive
This record is important because it preserves a Scottish local-government evidence base distinct from the Scottish Government's own response. It supports the Settlement Reform Record's point that local authorities, not only migrants and employers, may bear costs from longer and more conditional settlement routes.
Key Observations
- COSLA works with all 32 Scottish councils and hosts migration support functions.
- The evidence records at least GBP6.4m in Scottish local authority NRPF support costs in 2023-24.
- Longer settlement routes are linked to longer exclusion from mainstream benefits and housing support.
- Change-of-conditions penalties are framed as likely to deter families from preventing destitution.