Latest figures released by the office for National Statistics shows Bury witnessed a big decrease in Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimants from the previous month.

Claims were down 5.8% to 4,095. Bury had the highest decrease of JSA claimants (5.8%) in Greater Manchester with the combined Local Authorities total reaching 3.6%, slightly less than the UK average of 3.9%. Bury District has seen an annual decrease in JSA claimants, 10.9% combined over the past 12 months, with Moorside and Church wards of Bury seeing decreases of 23.4% and 20.7% respectively.

The total number of jobs provided by the Jobcentre Plus increased in June by 13.4% from 967 jobs to 1097. This represents an average of 27 jobs for every 100 JSA claimants. As a whole most wards saw drops in Job Centre (JCP) vacancies with 5 wards posting fewer vacancies than May. Tottington and Redvales witnessed 433% and 52.6% increases in JCP vacancies with Redvales total vacancies accumulating to 566 vacancies.

The male JSA claimant count fell by 6.0% to 2986 and the female claimant count decreased by 5.2% to 1109. Showing that male JSA claimants are staying on JSA for a shorter period and finding it easier to find jobs than female JSA claimants.

The long-term (over 6 months) JSA claimant count stood at 1,625 in Bury for June 2010, a decrease of 3.6% from May. LTU in the Ramsbottom ward dropped considerably (11.1%) implying the job vacancies created in this ward are being filled.

The youth (16 to 24 year olds) JSA claimant count stood at 1,320 in Bury for May 2010, a fall of 7.7% on the previous month. A 7.7% drop is considerably higher than both Greater Manchester and the United Kingdom. They dropped by 5.9% and 5.0% respectively. This is a considerable drop compared to May with a total claimant drop of 90. Bury has a high percentage of total youth JSA claimants against all claimants. (32.2%) Considerably higher than the UK average (27.8%) suggesting younger people are finding it harder to work in Bury than the rest of the UK. 

Vic D’Albert commented, “This is good news for Bury but there is clearly a long way to go and the Government must not become complacent on this crucial issue. In Bury’s case it may well be that the opening of the new Rock shopping centre will have had an impact - especially on youth unemployment. But we should be cautious because there is a real fear that there could be an adverse impact on the Millgate shopping centre and the old Rock area which could lead to a reduction in jobs there, possibly cancelling out some of this improvement.Nevertheless this is an improvement in local fortunes that should be welcomed.”

With the back drop of global recession and on-going banking crisis, now accompanied by the Euro Zone crisis the Coalition Government is well into public spending cuts mode.

A steady stream of announcements have already been made and of course the daddy of them all is expected in the emergency budget next week (22nd).

And so it would seem that battle lines are now well and truly drawn across the floor of the Commons and they are drawn across the key issue of public spending. With the recent history bringing us to the recent events and to next weeks budget, it’s is now clear that the issue of public spending is set to dominate this Parliament and beyond.

The trouble is now that we have a new Government we have two versions of history. On the one hand Labour ex ministers are running around saying these cuts by the new Coalition are disgraceful and hurting the neediest in society, on the other hand the new Coalition Government Ministers are running around screaming “we don’t have a choice, Labour was spending money we didn’t have”.

The fact at the heart of all this was that during the election all 3 main parties agreed that massive cuts were needed, and all 3 parties refused to say what they would cut. So now Labour are saying we wouldn’t have cut this and that without actually saying what they would cut instead. They probably beleive it’s the perogative of HM opposition, but it’s more opportunism cloaked in deceit posing as opposition.

It’s interesting that during the elction many people were saying that they wanted a hung parliament because they wanted politicians to work together to deal with the massive problems the country faces. Well they got a hung parliament and they got a coalition, a surprising coalition perhaps, but a coalition nevertheless. At such a time - a time of crisis, we also need a responsible opposition - sadly that is lacking.

Labour didn’t have the stomach for coalition, and Labour don’t have the stomach to play a reasonable , constructive role in the new parliament. If that is a shame in itself, the old style brick hurling and 13 years of collective amnesia from the labour benches is disgusting.

David Cameron is today making a speech that will say the cuts the Government are to make will be painful and deep, and may even “change our way of life” - that last bit is a bit scary to say the least.

Meanwhile at the weekend, Nick Clegg for the Lib Dems confirmed they would be deep and painful but they would be handled differently than the vicious slicing of budgets that  Thatchers Tory Government undertook in the 80’s - irrespective of the damage inflicted on precious local services. Of course we’ll have to wait and see - all will become clear at the budget on June 22nd.

What I find particularly galling however is Labour’s current bleating about cuts. There is one big big ginormous fact looming over us all at present and that is the £1.6 billion hole in our budget - that is, put simply, we are spending £1.6 billion more than we are receiving as a country.

Labour knew this, Labour were happy to go through a general election also pledging massive cuts (albeit not immediately), now they are screaming. And they are gearing up to attack the Coalition over cuts - many of which they would have also faced making themselves. It is disgraceful and is certainly not new politics - what ever that actually is. it is certainly old politics.

What is clear to me and was made clear to me during the General Election was that a) the people of this country know we are in a crisis and  b) They would like politicians to work together to get us out of the crisis.

But in the end analysis its a case of return to year 1 for Labour. They want to ignore the fact that after 13 years of New Labour we have an illegal invasion of Iraq and a £1.6 billion public accounts black hole as their legacy to the British people.

In the coming months when Labour try to accuse the Coalition of making harsh cuts to public services, we must remind the British people of how we got where we are today.

We must say how the misery and hardship was the product of an irresponsible Labour Government obsessed with spin and spend. How the Lib Dem /Conservative Coalition are the agents of change that are trying to clean up British politics and put public finances back in order. 

The Coalition Policy Agreement has now been published and I am delighted to discover that it is full of Liberal Democrat policies.

Obviously by virtue of the fact that we (like the Conservatives) have had to compromise, there are policy issues that we are unable to put into practice at this time. Nevertheless it is a real chance to put into action the ideas that we have campaigned for over the last few weeks and in some cases for decades!

If this agreement holds, and I hope it does, then our two leaders will have changed politics for good and found a new way of governing, replacing the yah boo, confrontational politics with a more consensual approach, accentuating the common ground, the positives.It will of course remain a tremendous challenge for the coalition partners and in fact all political parties, it will be very interesting to see how Labour reacts for instance.

Below is a summary of the key headline policies so far as our key manifesto pledges were concerned. You can read the full coalition document here. 

A Fair Start for Children

·         Introduce a Pupil Premium to give all children a fair start.

Fairer taxes and Economic Reform

• A substantial increase in the personal allowance from April 2011 with a longer term policy objective of further increasing the personal allowance to £10,000, making further real terms steps each year towards this objective
• Reform of the banking system, ensuring a flow of lending to businesses and a Banking Levy. An independent commission on separating retail and investment banking.
• Capital Gains Tax reform

Fair Politics

• Fixed-term parliaments and a referendum on electoral reform for the House of Commons.
• A power of recall, allowing voters to force a by-election where an MP was found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing.
• A wholly or mainly elected House of Lords on the basis of proportional representation.
• Giving Parliament control of its own agenda so that all bills are properly debated.
• Enacting the Calman Commission proposals and a referendum on further Welsh devolution.
• A statutory register of lobbyists.
• A limit on political donations and reform of party funding in order to remove big money from politics.
• Radical devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups.

A fair and sustainable future

• Establish a smart electricity grid and the roll-out of smart meters.
• Establish feed-in tariff systems in electricity
• A huge increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion.
• The creation of a green investment bank.
• The provision of home energy improvement paid for by the savings from lower energy bills.
• Retention of energy performance certificates when HIPs are scrapped.
• Measures to encourage marine energy.
• The establishment of an emissions performance standard that will prevent coal-fired power stations being built unless they are equipped with sufficient CCS to meet the emissions performance standard.
• Establish a high-speed rail network.
• Cancel the third runway at Heathrow and refuse additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
• Replace the Air Passenger Duty with a ‘per plane’ duty.
• The provision of a floor price for carbon, as well as efforts to persuade the EU to move towards full auctioning of ETS permits.
• Make the import or possession of illegal timber a criminal offence.
• Promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity.
• Reduce central government carbon emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months.
• Increase the target for energy from renewable sources.

Pensions

• Restoration of the earnings link for the basic state pension from April 2011 with a “triple guarantee” that pensions are raised by the higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%.
• Phase out the default retirement age and end the rules requiring compulsory annuitisation at 75.
• Implement the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman’s recommendation to make fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders.

Civil Liberties

• Scrap the ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the next generation of biometric passports and the ContactPoint Database.
• Outlaw the finger-printing of children at school without parental permission.
• Extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act to provide greater transparency.
• Adopt the Scottish approach to stopping retention of innocent people’s DNA on the DNA database.
• Defend trial by jury.
• Restore rights to non-violent protest.
• A review of libel laws to protect freedom of speech.
• Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.
• Further regulation of CCTV.
• Ending of storage of internet and email records without good reason.
• A new mechanism to prevent the proliferation of unnecessary new criminal offences.
• End the detention of children for immigration purposes.

Last night I attended a hustings event organised by the Chamber of Commerce alongside my Labour and Conservative counterparts.

What came across loud and clear was both the pressure small to medium sized enterprises currently find themselves under and the concern that the political parties had the right answers so far as business and the economy were concerned.

On the day when the Institute for Fiscal Studies criticised the 3 main parties for having large holes in their plans to cut the budget deficit etc, I said that political parties need to be honest with the electorate. It is no use any of the main parties trying to pretend in this crisis that we have exclusive solutions to the problem.

That’s why the Lib Dems would like the three main parties to get together after the election in a council for fiscal stability. We need a coherent, sustainable cross party response to this massive problem. Lets bring the Chancellor together with the shadow chancellors and the Governor of the Bank of England and others and iron out a strategy that can take the economy forward.

Incidently  the IFS briefing clearly stated that the Liberal Democrats have gone further than any party in identifying the savings that will be needed to tackle the structural deficit. The Conservatives on the other hand have pledged to make the biggest cuts to spending since the Second World War without coming clean about where the axe will fall. 

The IFS also shows both Labour and the Conservatives are hiding behind vague efficiency savings to avoid coming clean about their proposals.

We welcome the IFS’s overall assessment that the Liberal Democrat plans to raise the personal allowance to £10,000 is progressive, adds up and gives people an incentive to work.

This is in stark contrast to the assessment of Conservative tax plans, which the IFS have shown to be both regressive by rewarding the richest, as well as self contradictory. As the IFS have shown, the Conservatives would have to reverse half of their proposed £6bn National Insurance tax cut to meet their own targets on tax.

The Liberal Democrats today launched plans to create jobs that last by stimulating a green, sustainable economy. The plans include investing in wind energy, energy efficiency in public buildings and homes, and bringing empty homes back into use through renovation.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: “This week I will be focusing on the most important issue of all in this election: how we can build a new economy from the rubble of the old. Under Governments from the old parties, economic policy was made entirely subservient to the needs of just one square mile - the city of London.

“This will provide an immediate jobs boost and help create the green infrastructure we need for a low carbon economy. On Tuesday and Wednesday I will unveil further proposals on restructuring our financial system and on boosting social mobility in the new economy.”

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Bury South added, “Time has moved on but the approach and attitude of the two old parties has remained rooted in the past. The recession shouldn’t be the death knell for environmentally friendly policies it should be the spring board. A spring board for massive growth in the green economy, providing a boost to jobs and the economy when it most needs it.”

You can read more about these policies here .

Or your can download this section of our manifesto here: libdem_2010_job.pdf

THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MANIFESTO

This is a manifesto you can trust. We have stripped our priorities back to the essential, fundamental changes that Britain needs to make it fair:

• Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket
• A fair chance for every child
• A fair future, creating jobs by making Britain greener
• And a fair deal by cleaning up politics

These are deliverable, practical plans to make your life better, and they are right there on the front cover of our manifesto.  Instead of rhetoric and razzmatazz, we are saying what we will do and how we will pay for it.

Elections should be a competition of ideas, not marketing budgets. They may have the bigger budgets but we have the bigger ideas.And you can trust us to deliver because unlike the other parties, we have spelt out, line by line in the manifesto how every single policy is paid for, and how we will reduce the deficit.

We have set out £15bn of details spending cuts and just £5bn a year of new spending, meaning £10bn for the deficit every year. We are the first party to put detailed spending plans into a manifesto.

Four key pledges

1. Fair taxes: We will ensure no-one pays income tax on the first £10,000 they earn. Most taxpayers will get a tax cut of £700 a year.  We’ll pay for it by closing loopholes that unfairly benefit the rich, a new tax on mansions worth over £2m, a crack down on tax avoidance and higher aviation duty.
2. A fair start for all our children: We will get every child the individual attention they need by cutting class sizes.  We will spend an extra £2.5bn on schools, targeted at children who need the most help. The average primary school could cut class sizes to 20. An average secondary school could see classes of just 16.
3. A fair future: a rebalanced, green economy: We will break up the banks and rebalance the economy away from unsustainable financial speculation. We will be honest about where savings must be made in government spending to balance the books and protect our children’s future. And we will create new jobs with a £3.1bn green stimulus and job creation plan in our first year in office, fully funded by cut backs elsewhere.
4. A fair deal from politicians: We will introduce a fair voting system. We will ensure corrupt MPs can be sacked by their constituents and stop non-doms from donating to parties or sitting in Parliament. We will take power from Westminster and give it to communities, with local power over police and the NHS, and introduce a freedom bill to protect and restore civil liberties.

We also have the following commitments:

• Protect front line NHS services. We will help the NHS work better with the money it has and protect front line services by re-investing the savings we find back into healthcare
• Recruit 3,000 more police officers to keep our streets safe and scrapping ID cards
• Scrap student tuition fees to reduce the burden of student debt immediately and eliminate fee debt altogether over 6 years
• A pay rise for our brave service men and women together with cut backs of bureaucrats and top brass officers in the Ministry of Defence
• Uprate the basic state pension in line with earnings immediately so that pensioners do not fall further behind when the economy starts to grow again

YOU CAN READ NICK CLEGGS MANIFESTO LAUNCH SPEECH HERE

YOU CAN READ OR DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR MANIFESTO HERE: libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf

ALTERNATIVELY YOU CAN VIEW OUR MANIFESTO IN FULL OR SECTIONS ON OUR WEBSITE HERE 

The Tories have finally come clean about how they would cut public spending by £12bn - to help fund their pledge to curb the rise in National Insurance.

Lo and behold it’s a mish mash of “efficiency savings”, cuts and unspecified “projects” as well as cuts to recruitment.

Advisors to The Financial Times, not renowned for its left leaning views, reckon it could mean 40,000 public jobs lost.

Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said it appeared the Conservatives were “looking to immediately slash employment throughout the public sector”.

Vic D’Albert, Bury South Parliamentary candidate added, “What bothers me most here is that the Tories are treating people like fools. They are making wild promises to cut public spending and lower NI and then they insist people won’t lose there jobs and key services like the NHS and Education won’t suffer.

“Every knows it just doesn’t add up and it doesn’t make sense. On top of which anyone who can remember Thatchers Conservative Government will remember they promised the same and they then proceeded to decimate public services.

Nick Clegg: “It is a very exciting opportunity for everyone in Britain who wants fairness and real change, who wants something different.

“This isn’t the old politics of a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservative Party. The real choice is between the old politics of Labour and Conservatives and something different, something new and that is what we offer.”

“This is a huge, huge election. It is certainly the beginning of the end for Brown, that’s for sure.

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Candidate for Bury South added, “As equal citizens in a modern society isn’t it right that we should all expect a fair deal from the state as a fundamental expectation in return for our duties and responsibilities to that state and our communities?

“As I started knocking on doors last night time and again residents told me that they were sick of the way things are, sick of the tired old politics, sick of post code lotteries, sick of the unfairness that now infects all aspects of our society and Government.

“I told them only the Liberal Democrats are putting fairness at the heart of our manifesto committments, fairness that means fundamental change.”

Our manifesto has four key themes:

Fair Taxes for all

A Fair Start for Children

Fair, transparent & local politics

A fair and sustainable economy

An increasingly desperate Conservative Party are increasingly playing dangerous games with the economy by stoking up fear about hung parliaments.

They are now plying a strategy of fear, stirring up anxieties amongst their friends in the city, damaging the pound, causing share to plummet and hurting British business.

Rather than outlining detailed policies for taking the country forward they are enthusiastically highlighting their views as to what will happen if you don’t vote Tory. Its tantamount to political blackmail. Vote Tory or we will wipe out your savings and plunge the economy back into deep recession.

It’s cynical and irresponsiible, it’s negative and it’s damaging the economy before a vote has been cast.

The fact remains while Labour bury their heads in the sand, and the Tories stoke up fear and anxiety, only the Lib Dems have credible coherent plans for dealing with the budget deficit and taking the economy forward.

Latest Government figures show that we are still well and truly in the mire.

Worryingly the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance soared by 23,500 last month to reach the highest level since Labour came to power in 1997.The claimant count increased to 1.64 million in January, the worst figure since April 1997.

Meanwhile long-term unemployment, covering those out of work for more than a year, increased by 37,000 in the quarter to December to 663,000, also the highest figure since 1997.

The number of people classed as economically inactive reached a record high of 8.08 million, more than 21% of the working age population. The figure covers students, people looking after a sick relative, or those who have given up looking for work, with records dating back to 1971.

Despite all this unemployment in the latest quarter actually fell slightly by 3,000 to 2.46 million, giving a jobless rate of 7.8%, unchanged from the previous three months.

Unemployment among 18- to 24-year-olds fell by 13,000 in the last three months of 2009 to 725,000, while for 16 to 24-year-olds the total dropped by 13,000 to 923,000.

This Government has failed to respond effectively and expediently to provide adequate support for those worst hit by this recession – and Labour’s ongoing failure to support the young unemployed is storing up numerous problems for the future from that generation.

If there is one single area where Labour has persistently failed many people in this country it would be in its attempts to reduce poverty and the poverty gap in Britain. And within that their pledge to eradicate Child poverty is the most miserable failure of all. 

A report by the National Equality Panel published today has stated that the gap between rich and poor in Britain is now wider than 40 years ago.

The Panel found that “Deep-seated and systemic differences” remain between men and women and minority groups in pay and employment.

This is despite this Labour Government throwing millions of pounds of taxpayers money at the issue and numerous initiatives.

The trouble is they have done just that - thrown millions of pounds at the problem, almost scatter cushion like, without going to the fundamental issues that drive poverty and curse many born into poverty. And coupled with new labours conservative approach to personal taxation, especially in their first Blair Parliament from ‘97, they have undermined their own ambitions to deal with poverty.

It’s probably their biggest failure and worst legacy to many over the course of a generation, who despite promises now bear the brutal scars of poverty and all that flows from it.

The Liberal Democrats today set out plans to bring a quarter of a million empty homes back into use, making homes available for people who need them and creating 65,000 jobs.

There are over 760,000 empty properties across England which are no longer used as homes but can be brought back into use with some investment. People who own these homes will get a grant or a cheap loan to renovate them so they can be used: grants if the home is for social housing, loans for private use.

Across Bury there is a staggering 1840 empty properties laying idle which could be used to meet local housing needs.

Vic D’Albert, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Bury South commented,

“I welcome this pledge. Empty property is an issue that this Labour Government has clearly failed to address in any adequate manner at all. In one street of Holyrood Ward of Prestwich alone I know of 2 properties that have been left empty, to rot for years.

“This situation cannot be allowed to continue and I am positive this election pledge would have a dramatic in dealing with empty properties across the country.” 

The plans form part of the economic stimulus package outlined as a core principle of the Liberal Democrat election manifesto. In the first year of the new Parliament, the party would redirect over £3.6bn of spending to create jobs and build up Britain’s infrastructure. In the following years this money will be redirected to other Lib Dem spending priorities and reducing the structural deficit.

Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.

A local business I know has a vacancy for an Office Junior. They thought they would use the Job Centre service to advertise the position and rang up to give them the details.

All was going smoothly until the employer stated that amongst the skills required would be “good basic english and maths skills”.

The person at the Job Centre was unsure about this and so went away to consult with his supervisor. On his return he told the employer that he couldn’t ask for “good basic english” it had to be “good communication skills”. The implication being that it would somehow be offensive or racist to request english skills.

Political correctness gone mad. Personally I have come across (sadly) many white english people that can barely string a sentence together and certainly don’t have the most basic grasp of english and many foreigners and black or asian heritage Brits with excellent english skills.

Perhaps we can look forward to English Language at schools being replaced by “communication skills”. 

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats reveal that 1.5 million people have been claiming Incapacity Benefit, Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance for more than 5 years. Of these, more than half a million people have been claiming for between 5 and 9 years, while 700,000 have been claiming for over 12 years. 

Commenting, Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bury South, said:  “Under Labour people have become trapped in a system where they have to be out of work for a year before getting extra help to find a job. Under Labour you fend for yourself or fall by the wayside for the first year. This is the way to destroy a person’s confidence not boost their job prospects.

“The situation is even worse for people with health problems who are sent away and abandoned on benefits. People who don’t get help from day one find themselves ignored and forced into debt, with the constant worry making it even harder to get a job, and the far reaching impact for their families.

“Ministers need to change the system so that people get real help from the second they walk into a Jobcentre. They need help immediately and are better equipped to respond to help at an earlier stage. This Government has failed too many people just when they have needed help most. How many more will they fail before making changes that will really count.”

David Cameron’s announcement on the eve of the Tory Conference, that  Tory Government would review all those on Incapacity benefit with a view to getting many of them in to work or on £25 per week less in benefits (switching to Job Seekers), is a cheap shot at best in an attempt to woo the right wing of his own party and of course the right wing press.

At a time of deep recession when unemployment isn’t expected to start dropping any time soon, targeting those on incapacity benefit, forcing them onto the end of a growing jobs queue really isn’t going to solve the problem. In many parts of the country it is now common for up to 100 applicants for a job. How helpful will it be to add people who have been on incapacity benefit for possibly years , too that jobs market?

Everyone knows that the benefit system needs reform, it’s been Lib Dem policy for as long as I can remember. All main parties want reform and all main parties are committed to reviewing spending.

But this is really just another case of Tory posturing coupled with spending cuts. But cuts for cuts sake is irresponsible and will harm vulnerable people. We have to reconcile any proposed cuts too what our spending priorities need to be over the coming decade.

We need to protect the vulnerable, to protect vital front line services and to maintain key public services. Sadly the nature of Cameron’s announcement just reaffirms Tory cruel intentions and shows a reverting to type in the quest for media coverage and spending cuts.

MEDIA STATEMENT

Bury’s dole queues have lengthened by over three quarters this year to over 4,000.

Now Bury South Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Vic D’Albert says the Government must act fast to halt the rise in job losses and home repossessions in the borough.

There are now 4,230 people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in Bury, an increase of 78.9% compared to this time last year, and an increase of 41.7% in the last three months.

Unemployment in the borough is now at a higher level than before Labour came to power in 1997, after the ravages of 18 years of Tory government.

Commenting, Vic D’Albert said: “Despite some sterling work by local businesses, these figures show that the recession is continuing to hit Bury hard as more jobs and homes are being lost. It is clear to me that the Labour government has failed Bury, and that the Tory Council isn’t doing anything like enough to help.

“It is vital that the Government offers help to the millions who are struggling to keep their heads above water. Income tax should be cut, and the banks must pass on the cuts in interest rates to reduce the cost of borrowing and keep people in their homes, and businesses open.

“The Prime Minister promised to abolish boom and bust, yet for the people of Bury it’s unemployment that’s booming, and their businesses that are going bust.
At the same time, the Tories at the Town Hall are dithering over Lib Dem proposals like our “Park Free After 3″ idea which would be a big boost to jobs.

“The banks have had their bail-out, how much longer must ordinary people wait for theirs?”

(source: Office of National Statistics)

It really does not achieve anything for Labour and the Tories to constantly try and twist each others words and statements on public spending in order that they then bleat “I told you so” to the media. With the Tories pledging to increase the costs of a ploughmans lunch in the House of commons and Labour trying to match the rhetoric with strong words but without saying much at all, we desperately need a grown up debate.

They talk of Public services as if they were something that is a luxury that can’t really be afforded in tough times - like eating out less or not replacing your ageing TV.

In all the talk of spending cuts and committments we need to remember that many public services are by definition quite vital and essential - relied on by many of the most vulnerable in our communities and by necessity not always affordable or providable through the private sector.

So in these difficult times whilst it is right to address Government spending, let’s also address Government income and Government waste, and lets have a sensible grown up discussion about services - the services that we can do without - ID cards etc and the services that need protecting - because of the impact of cuts.

The TUC were right to wade into the debate yesterday on the eve of their conference because we must not forget the implications of cuts invariably mean redundancies directly and indirectly.

Cuts will need to be made, but we need to ensure vital services are protected. It’s about services that matter, it’s about people lives as well as livelihoods.

With many young people receiving GSCE results shortly and many failing to make it to University - due to a shortage of places and dissapointing grades, a major headache is about to hit the unemployment statistics in September and October.

When you add the end of seasonal summer working in many places there could be a major problem brewing.

The Government needs to act now to ensure young people unable to find employment or full times education receive proper support. Its difficult enough finding work when experienced. When you are fresh to the jobs market its pretty daunting. When the job market is as poor as it currently is then that can be soul destroying.

It’s easy for young people to lose heart and even direction with early dissapointments. And this can lead to future problems, self esteem/confidence, health etc. At such time real support is needed. They have every reason to expect proper programmes of support, advice etc in place to help them find suitable employment or training etc and offer the encouragement to persist.

Unemployment in Bury has risen to 4589.

While the lastest figures represent a slight increase from May to June of 0.7%, they show that unemployment in Bury has doubled over the past year. There are now 78314 unemployed (on job seekers allowance) across Greater Manchester. The rate of unemployment in Bury matches the national average at 4.1%.

1 IN 3 UNDER 25

As if that isn’t alarming enough the amount of young unemployed (16-24’s) now stands at 1595 a staggering 34.8% of the total Bury unemployed. Or to put it another way 1 in 3 Bury unemployed are under 25. Bury now has the highest proportion of young unemployed across Greater Manchester. Overall there are 25115 young unemployed in the region.

LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED UP 113.9% IN A YEAR

Meanwhile those that have been out of work for over 6 months has now reached 1080 in Bury, representing 23.5% of the total unemployed, up 13.7% since last month and a staggering 113.9% in a year.

Sadly the number of vacancies doesn’t lift the gloom with a total of 531 vacancies posted in June- down 11% on last month and down 41% compared to the same time last year.

While incredibly some commentators are suggesting that we are starting to see a the light at the end of the tunnel due to the slowing increase of unemployment, personally I remain sceptical for now. After all now is the time we start to see a lot of seasonal jobs traditionally easing unemployment figures for the summer. If that is actually represented in these figures then things are even worse than we fear.

With businesses still struggling to get funding from banks (despite Mr Browns insistence) and a mass of university leavers hitting the jobs market any time soon, we need positive assertive measures now to stimulate the economy further.

Labour are almost paralysed with dithering and despair and effectively making a bad situation worse, when we desperately need a Government that can take decisive action and initiatives.

BURY UNEMPLOYMENT DOUBLES IN A YEAR!

Latest figures show that unemployment in Bury almost doubled over the year to April 09.

Job Seekers Allowance claimants shot up to 4558 in Bury up 1.8% from March and up 97% over the past year. Overall 4% of the working population are claiming JSA.

However, this still compares favourably with the Greater Manchester average. Across Greater Manchester 77908 were claiming JSA , up 2.4% on March and up 80% over the past year. Overall 4.8% were claiming JSA.

Worryingly the long term jobless figures are now on the increase. Bury now has 950 residents (claimants) out of work - up 12.4% in a month and 94% in a year. Long term jobless accounts for 20.8% of the jobless in Bury. In other words 1 in 5 have now been out of work for 6 months or more!

This is where this paralysed Labour Government is really failing people. While Brown fails to deal with the economic crisis and dithers over Government/Parliamentary reform, back on our towns and communities people are increasingly suffering the fallout and trauma of job cuts and businesses crashing.