Job creation claim branded a ‘myth’ by tolls opponent
THE Mersey Gateway’s job creation forecasts have been branded ‘mythical’ after figures revealed unemployment has risen in most areas near the bridge since it opened.
Part of the case made for building the crossing was that it would create 4,640 jobs.
But since October when the bridge opened, the out-of-work benefits claimant count has risen in Halton and three of its five neighbouring boroughs.
In Halton, where the bridge is situated, the jobseekers rate climbed from 3.8% in October to 4.2% in July, equating to an extra 345 people looking for work.
According to Office For National Statistics data, it had peaked at 4.6% in April.
Meanwhile in Knowsley, the out-of-work claimant count has crept up from 3.4% to 3.5%, and in Warrington it went from 2.2% to 2.5%.
In St Helens the rate increased but then fell back to the same as it was when the bridge opened, at 2.8%.
Liverpool is the only area bordering Halton where unemployment has fallen since October with the claimant count dropping marginally from 3.5% to 3.4%.
In Cheshire West And Chester, it was up from 1.5% to 2.2% – but that rise coincides with the area’s roll-out of Universal Credit (UC), which counts more people as looking for work than the previous benefits system.
Slightly further afield, there have been rises in the claimant count in Wirral and Sefton, but these also coincide with the introduction of UC.
Other economic factors could be at play but the figures could raise questions about whether the bridge has delivered the comprehensive boost to the region that many hoped for.
Critics of the Mersey Gateway’s tolls system claim that charging motorists to cross is a deterrent to employers and an extra expense for workers meaning less disposable cash.
John McGoldrick, of the Scrap Mersey Tolls campaign, said he had ‘rubbished’ the ‘mythical’ job creation forecast figures at the public inquiry into the bridge in 2009, stating that these depended on ‘obscure analyses’ and predicted that a tolled bridge would create 1,000 more jobs than an untolled bridge.
In addition he said there was a ‘ vagueness’ over where the 4,640 jobs would be created, with references to a ‘regeneration area’ in the bridge evidence referring to pockets of deprivation around the Liverpool City Region and about 5% in Halton, and he said that he and the National Alliance Against Tolls had predicted Runcorn would be hit hardest.
Bridge and tolls backers claim that motorists save cash on fuel and wasted time because of less waiting in traffic.
When the Weekly News put the rising unemployment figures to bridge project backers earlier this year, a Mersey Gateway Crossings Board (MGCB) spokeswoman said the headline 4,640 permanent job creation figure covers the 30-year lifetime of the Merseylink bridge contract, or about 155 extra roles a year.
Halton Council said employment trends in Halton are in line with the North West, and the number of businesses opening in the borough had increased by 6.7% in 2016- 17, exceeding the regional average of 6.1% and national figure of 4.8%, albeit before the bridge opened.
The MGCB board spokeswoman said the project has already created well over 1,000 jobs and that the figure of 4,640 was derived in a wider economic impact report and includes jobs created as a result of operation of the bridge, regeneration and inward investment.
She said more than 1,300 workers were employed at the peak of construction, with more than five million work hours taking place during the 42 months it took to build the structure.
Unemployed Halton residents completed 119 days of work placement visits, 32 apprentices were taken on, and 73 weeks of work experience were offered while the bridge was being built, she said.
In addition, 17 preemployment programmes were provided to teach skills to 100 residents.
The spokeswoman said more than 650 Halton residents secured jobs on the project, including in construction, traffic management, administration, accounts, IT, quantity surveying, and steel fixing.
Tolls operator Merseyflow has recruited 180 staff, 95% of whom live in Halton, she said.
Ongoing performance will be monitored
She said: “Merseylink are now delivering the operations and maintenance phase of the project and remain committed to the local employment ● agenda. d
“In total six full-time roles and one apprenticeship has been created across management, supervisory and operational functions.
“Of these roles, four have been filled by Halton residents with the apprenticeship created and filled in conjunction with HEP (Halton Enterprise Partnership).
A Halton Council spokeswoman said: “The overall trend in Halton remains in line with the rest of the North West.
“Figures also show that during 2016-17 in Halton, there was a net increase in the number of business enterprises of 6.7%.
“This compares to an average for the North West of 6.1% and nationally of 4.8%.
“We hope these businesses will bring with them more jobs and opportunities for local people in the future.”
John McGoldrick, of the Scrap Mersey Tolls campaign, remains deeply sceptical of the job crea- tion forecast. f
He said: “So the 4,640 jobs is a mythical, unbelievable figure that never related to the Halton Borough area.
“No independent person would believe that putting a toll on a previously free crossing would create jobs.
“Elsewhere in Britain, the claims have usually been the opposite, ie, that removing tolls will create jobs.
“This was illustrated recently when the Government said that the removal of the tolls from the Severn Crossing will be a boost to the economy.
“Apart from Halton Council, the only other claim that has ever been made that tolls create jobs has come from Merseytravel.
“It is perhaps not a coincidence that Merseytravel and Halton seem to have collaborated over the last 15 years or so on the creation of a toll barrier from Liverpool to the outskirts of Warrington.”