A council has secured £850,000 from a government fund to help migrants settle in and to ease pressure on public services.

Redbridge Council won the funding from the government’s Controlling Migration Fund and say the money will be spent on tackling rogue landlords and improving the council’s ability to combat fly-tipping and beds in sheds.

It is known that migrants are at particular risk of poor housing conditions and the council says a large part of the funding will be used to combat overcrowding, poorly managed homes in multiple occupation and unlawful beds in sheds in the private rented sector.

Cllr Farah Hussain, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: “We are very pleased to be awarded such a significant amount of funding. We are proud to be such a diverse borough and want to ensure all our communities continue to have the opportunities to make a positive contribution to Redbridge.

“This money will help us do just that by targeting rogue landlords who prey on our most vulnerable residents so we can improve standards in the private rented sector and ensure decent housing. We also welcome the extra funding to tackle fly-tipping, which will enable us to reach out to tenants so they are aware of the services available to get rid of waste and that we will take action to enforce the law, where necessary.”

The council will also be investing in a tenant accreditation and referencing service, launching a tenant forum and working with all stakeholders to improve access to good quality housing for all tenants.

To help tackle fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour, the council will publish information spelling out how to dispose of waste, including using the council’s free bulky collection service.

There will be stricter enforcement action taken against landlords of houses in multiple occupation that do not provide their tenants with suitably sized bins, somewhere to store them and information about when to put them out for collection.

Last week the government also gave Redbridge Council permission to extend its selective licensing scheme to cover 79 per cent of the borough’s private rented sector to help tackle rogue landlords and improve housing provision.

Council leader, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: “We will use this cash wisely to ensure we improve the living conditions for all our residents. Fly tipping affects us all and beds in sheds drain away vital resources, this will send a clear message that rogue landlords will not be tolerated in Redbridge.”

The government’s Controlling Migration Fund was launched in 2017 with £100 million available to help local authorities in England. The money is given to councils on the condition it must not directly help illegal immigrants.