EU accession and public service performance

Since the expansion of the European Union (EU) in 2004 it has been widely assumed that the quality of UK public services has suffered due to high levels of worker migration from Eastern Europe. This article explores the effects of immigration on the service achievements of English local authorities between 2006 and 2007, and citizen satisfaction in 2006. The statistical results suggest that high levels of worker migration from EU A8 countries are associated with lower service performance, but that this negative relationship may be moderated by prior experience of dealing with European immigrants. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.