The town whose council wants migrants to move in
The local council in Greenock, Scotland, is actively encouraging migrants to move to the town to combat a long-term population decline. While the community has been welcoming, the lack of local job opportunities remains a significant barrier to growth.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of demographic decline in post-industrial towns and the role of immigration in regional economic revitalization.
Image caption, The population of Greenock, on Scotland's west coast, has been falling for decades
A new shop opened along Greenock's fading High Street in May. Anik African Store has brought a small corner of Nigeria to the Scottish town, selling yams, plantain, okra and catfish.
It is not the only African food shop here - there is another just metres away, responding to the area's changing population.
Five years ago, locals say, it would have been rare to see a black person in Greenock. Now hundreds of Africans and refugees have moved to the area.
The local council has in fact come up with a plan to attract even more to this corner of the west of Scotland as a means of stemming its falling population.
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