Under Pressure - II

From The Scotsman (October 26):

Council staff claim they are spending so much time dealing with the needs of Polish immigrants they are unable to provide other customers with the attention to which they are entitled.

Information-services workers at West Lothian Council, trying to support Poles who speak little or no English, now have much less time to help local people.

The findings, revealed in a report by Grahame Blair, the council's head of social policy, show a "huge" period of time is spent explaining entitlements and access to local amenities.

The report also says the resulting strain on staff resources means non-Poles are not receiving sufficient assistance from council staff.