Meacher slams widening social divide

THE Tories are creating a bigger north-south divide with 11 in 12 jobs created in southern England, Oldham MP Michael Meacher has said.

The Oldham West and Royton MP said: “This gap between the best and worst performing towns and cities has now widened so far that it has created a two-tier economy of dynamism and decline.

“The vast majority of these jobs are insecure, low-paid, and often subject to zero hours contracts, while 40 per cent of them are self-employment (often enforced as the only way to survive) on a pittance income.

“Nw evidence casts a further disturbing light on any idea of a jobs renaissance.”

Mr Meacher said the claims by the Government of an economic recovery are simply not true, adding that the fall in numbers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance can mean people have found work but also could mean people are no longer in receipt of the benefit.

He pointed to research that showed 1.9 million instances of sanctions involving the withdrawal of benefits to people on jobseeker’s allowance between 2011-14.

The research showed more than two-fifths of those sanctioned stopped trying to claim the benefit, but only a fifth of these said that this was because they had found work.

Mr Meacher has repeatedly asked the DWP how many claimants in Oldham have been subjected to sanctioning but is told the figures are not available at such a local level.