Council leader warns for jobs crisis
A council leader has warned of a jobs crisis in Telford after it was revealed more than 14,000 are on furlough or job seeker benefits.
New analysis from Labour reveals there are now 14,635 people either claiming Job Seekers Allowance or on furlough in Telford & Wrekin. Now the Labour council's leader Shaun Davies has called for more powers for councils to help prevent a crisis this spring.
Councillor Davies said: “The first priority for Telford & Wrekin has to be to deliver the vaccine and beat the virus – but we’ve also got to do much more to avert a deepening jobs crisis.
“There are now 14,635 people in Telford & Wrekin either claiming job seekers allowance or on furlough – that’s 14,635 desperate to work. We can all see that the next few months are hugely uncertain – we have no idea how and when many of these jobs will come back. Councils want to do everything we can to fire local economies and create opportunities."
Mr Davies criticised the Conservative government for decisions it has made during the pandemic and for not trusting local communities to take charge in their areas.
“From Test and Trace to PPE we’ve seen government make the wrong calls throughout this crisis because they have repeatedly refused to trust local communities to take decisions that work for their area," he added. "We have the local knowledge, the networks and the on the ground understanding and up to date information you need in a crisis – that’s why government should give us the space we need to fight for local jobs.
“Local authorities should be given the powers to help those desperate to work into jobs. That means no more expensive consultants and top-down decision making. Instead, let’s harness the local expertise in our communities and give the families who have taken a battering this last year the best chance to rebuild their lives.”
