Huge numbers live on benefits

Apr 21 2008 The Journal

THOUSANDS of people across the region have been claiming benefits for more than two years, figures released today will show.

The figures will reveal that 11,220 people in the Easington district of Durham were claiming unemployment benefits for at least two years – 19.8% of the population.

And in Middlesbrough there were 13,250 claimants – 15.4% of the town.

Nationwide almost 3.4 million people have been claiming benefits for more than two years. The number of long-term benefits claimants has risen by more than 250,000 since 1999, the Department for Work and Pensions figures showed.

Tory analysis of the information showed the number of 18 to 24-year- olds claiming for more than two years has risen by almost 40% since 1999 to over 200,000.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said: “Some of these figures are truly shocking.

“In the past few years we have seen unprecedented numbers of people coming to work in the UK , yet the number of people on long-term out-of-work benefits is increasing.

“The situation makes no sense and needs to change.”

The worst long-term benefit blackspot is Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, where one in five people have been claiming for more than two years.

A total of 3,352,820 people in Great Britain have been claiming handouts such as incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, income support and jobseeker’s allowance for more than two years.

Earlier this year it was revealed that 38,860 people under 25 claimed benefits in the region.

Figures obtained by North Tyneside MP Stephen Byers showed the North East has the highest proportion of benefit claimants.

At the time, this prompted calls from the Conservatives for an end to the “something for nothing” culture in some Northern estates.

In a bid to crack down on some benefit fraud, officials at Derwentside are testing voice recognition technology which allegedly suggests to call centre staff if a claimant is lying.

In total there are over 100 local authority areas where at least one in 10 people have been claiming benefits for two years or more, according to the figures from May 2007.

The 10 authorities with the highest rates of long-term claims include five in Wales, two in the North East, two in the North West and one in Scotland.