Urgent action needed on growing unemployment says Deeside MP Mark Tami

Mark Tami, the Labour MP for Alyn & Deeside, has called on the Government to “move heaven and earth” to save jobs, as figures show a sharp increase in the unemployment rate in Flintshire.

The number of people unemployed in Alyn & Deeside has nearly doubled from 1,340 to 2,625 since March last year, when the first coronavirus lockdown began. The number is expected to jump again when Chancellor Rishi Sunak is scheduled to end the furlough scheme on April 30th.

Mr Tami the Welsh Government, the UK Government and Flintshire County Council for the steps taken so far, saying “credit is due to everyone who has worked together to keep the unemployment figures down so far.

The Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund, delivered in partnership with Flintshire County Council, has helped so many businesses and self-employed people in our area. For its part, the UK Government’s furlough scheme has also made a big difference to the companies who have needed it.

“Nobody should be happy to see the unemployment figures released this week, however. In that group there are many people who have been left out of Government support, whether that’s people excluded from the furlough scheme because they recently changed job, small businesspeople who have not been self-employed for long, workers paid on commission and people who have set up limited companies.

“It’s not enough to toss aside workers who have, through no fault of their own, found themselves left without help during this pandemic. It’s not too late for Boris Johnson to step in – today’s figures show he has to.”

Despite the sharp rise, with an unemployment rate of 5.1% there are still more people in work in Alyn & Deeside than the UK as a whole with 6.7% of people out of work. Wales is performing slightly better than the rest of Britain, with a rate of 6.5%.

Mr Tami continued: “It’s encouraging to see that the Welsh labour Government’s support to workers and businesses has meant a lower unemployment rate than the UK as a whole. Speaking to local businesses, it’s clear that this support has saved jobs that would otherwise have disappeared from our area.

“Losing a job is never easy, and especially at a time like this when there is less work around. As a result many workers who have never had to seek help before are having to put in claims for benefits. My office is here to help make sure you can access all the support available if you have lost your job. Redundancy should never mean poverty – if you’re struggling, even if you’ve been refused Universal Credit because of savings or a partner’s earnings, get in touch either by email to [email protected] or by phone on 01244 836350.”