Thousands more of region’s residents claiming benefits
ThousandsmoreNorthYorkshire residents are claiming unemploymentbenefitscomparedtoamonthago,astheeffects of the coronavirus crisis on the economy begin to bite.
The Labour Party says more people will soon face whatitdescribesas“oneofthe weakest out-of-work safety nets in the developed world”, and has joined charities in urging reform to the system.
Office for National Statistics data shows 14,180 people were claiming out-of-work benefits in North Yorkshire as of April 9, compared to just 6,325 a month earlier.
It means the share of the population signing on rose from 1.7% to 3.9%.
The statistics capture the early weeks of restrictions after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the country into lockdownonMarch23,meaning the numbers are likely to have risen since.
However, North Yorkshire’s claimant rate was still lower than the 5.7% across Yorkshire as a whole.
The ONS figures count those aged 16 to 64 who are onJobseekersAllowanceand some Universal Credit claimants, with numbers rounded to the nearest five.
Labour’sshadowworkand pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the rise shows the “severity of the crisis we are facing”.
Thepartyhasaskedforimmediate changes to the benefits system.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “These are challenging times, but Universal Credit is providing a vital safety net to those affected by the pandemic and we’ve taken action byinjectingover£6.5billionto supportpeopleusingthewelfare system.”