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MP Concerned by Jump in Unemployment in Welwyn Hatfield

Grant Shapps has today expressed concern over figures which reveal that, over the last 12 months, Welwyn Hatfield unemployment has soared, beating both the regional and national average.

New figures, out this week, reveal that the number of unemployed people in Welwyn Hatfield has risen by more than the national and regional averages. Although unemployment in Hertfordshire remains low, the statistics show a worrying trend.

The official unemployment figures show that people in Welwyn Hatfield claiming benefits over the last year rose by 15.3%, exceeding the County-wide rise of 15.2%, 13.9% for the East of England Region and 14.1% for the UK as a whole.  Worryingly, the number of job vacancies for the area reduced from 1,061 to 732, meaning that there are now more people unemployed than there are jobs available.

"There is a worrying pattern emerging," said Mr Shapps. "The Government still claims there are large numbers of vacancies in the national economy, but that's no longer the case in Welwyn Hatfield and I'm becoming concerned about job prospects for local residents.

"Although this recession is global, Gordon Brown did too little to prepare this country for an economic downturn during the years of plenty so that now we find the cupboard is bare and this government is unable to step in and help hard pressed families. We're entering this downturn with the biggest budget deficit in the developed world and this mismanagement means that the government is unable to provide real help to people."


ENDS

Editors' Notes:
For more information, please contact Tim Collins on 020 7219 8497 or at collinsti@parliament.uk