Wentworth and Dearne sees 75 per cent rise in unemployment benefit claimants in one month

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the Wentworth and Dearne consituency rose by 75 per cent last month, according to the area's MP.
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John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne, said the government should look at providing further help to those who are unemployed, after figures released by the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of people who claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance increased by 75 per cent in one month.

Barnsley was placed seventh in a table of increases in unemployment in the UK’s 63 largest cities and towns. Doncaster was also in the top ten, and Sheffield placed 33rd.

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John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne.  Picture Tony Johnson.John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne.  Picture Tony Johnson.
John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth and Dearne. Picture Tony Johnson.
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The number of claimants are up everywhere in the country. A total of 2.1 million people in the UK filed a claim for either Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance in April, a rise of approximately 850,000 compared to March.

John Healey MP said: “These are the first monthly figures showing the impact of the Covid crisis on jobs and behind these statistics are many families facing a very difficult and worrying time.

“In the Wentworth & Dearne constituency, the number of people forced to claim unemployment benefits increased by 1,730 people between March and April – a 75 per cent rise in just one month.

“We need out-of-work support on a scale to match the Covid crisis, and more clarity around the ‘furlough’ scheme. If there is an abrupt end to the scheme we’ll see more mass redundancies.

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“The government should also be looking at giving more help to the unemployed, including retraining and upskilling.”

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