UNEMPLOYMENT IN DERBY UP BY A FIFTH AS GOVERNMENT CUTS CONTINUE

THE increase in the number of Derby people who are out of work is more than three times the national average.

That is the alarming statistic that shows how the Government’s cut-now-pay-later approach to the economy is plunging thousands into poverty.

With jobs at a premium and opportunities choked off at every turn, more and more Derby people are finding themselves without a job and with little prospect of finding one.

In total, there were 6,839 Derby people claiming unemployment benefit in April 2011. That figure had risen by a fifth to 8,184 by April 2012.

That 20 per cent hike compares to a national average rise of 6.3 per cent.

And with an incredible 25,722 people in Derby now claiming Council Tax Benefit, thousands of people across the city are struggling to put food on the table.

These figures reveal a horrifying upward trend of unemployment and poverty and show the desperate situation facing real families all across Derby and beyond.

We’ve seen our city hammered by the Government. It is galling yet unsurprising that unemployment has risen so sharply here given the spate of dreadful decisions we’ve witnessed, from public sector cuts to the Bombardier fiasco.

Like so many other Government policies, the Work Programme has failed miserably. It’s unbelievable that these statistics come a year after that programme was introduced.

Nationally, an extra £9bn is being spent on dole payments and housing benefits.

This downward spiral shows no sign of letting up as long as this shortsighted Government remains focused on drastic cuts that can only shrink our economy.