We have been posting recently about unemployment, underemployment and zero-hours contracts. Until now we have not been able to focus attention on how the Liberal Democrat and Tory led economic crisis is directly affecting the Leeds North West parliamentary constituency. Publication of the Labour Party’s ‘Yorkshire and the Humber Jobs and Opportunities Bulletin (July 2013)’ changes this.
The data supplied by the Office for National Statistics that forms the basis of the Yorkshire and the Humber Jobs and Opportunities Bulletin (July 2013) makes grim reading. For example:
- The number of under-25s claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance for over a year in the Leeds NW constituency increased by 400% between 2010 – 2013.
- The number of over-25s claiming Job Seekers Allowance in the Leeds NW constituency increased by more than 600% between 2010 – 2013.
- The gross weekly pay in £ of full-time earners in the Leeds NW Constituency, 2010 – 2012, in real terms (Retail Price Index deflated) fell by a massive 15.60%.
The collapse in living standards, in particular, in Leeds NW is a terrible indictment of the Coalition government. It is certainly not evidence of the ‘Stronger Economy. Fairer Society’ that Leeds NW MP, Greg Mulholland, boasts about on his website.
Perhaps an even starker indicator of the failure of Mr Mulholland’s government is the fact that the Trussell Trust has opened ONE Food Bank and is planning to open a further FOUR by the end of 2013 within a ten mile radius of the centre of the Leeds NW constituency.
The Labour Party supports the hard work of the volunteers who run the food banks; their charity does them great credit. However, Labour despises the fact that the policies of the Lib Dem and Tory Coalition government make such charitable work necessary.
Leeds North West Constituency 