Written evidence submitted by Tameside
Metropolitan Borough Council
As will be seen from the data below the number of
JSA claimants in Tameside who had been claiming JSA for over 12
months has risen from 620 in August 2009 to 1305 in June 2010.
This represents a rise from 8.8% to 20.9% of the JSA claimant
count, and an increase in arithmetic terms of over 100% in less
than 12 months. It seems reasonable to assume that this is a function
of the fragility of the local employment opportunities rather
than a dramatic behavioural change by the Tameside workforce.
In this context it is hard to determine the policy objective behind
the proposal to reduce the Housing Benefit entitlement of this
cohort by 10%. Sanctions already exist for those claimants deemed
not to be complying with their Jobseekers agreement. The most
likely outcome of this policy is the growth in indebtedness amongst
the long term unemployed which will manifest itself in an increase
in rent arrears and fuel poverty. This would then likely have
a negative impact on the health of this cohort, which could prompt
increased attendance at GP surgeries and increased NHS spend.
Concern is also felt about the possible impact on re-offending
rates of a reduction in income of those who are struggling to
enter employment following a period serving a community sentence.
WORKING-AGE
BENEFITS
The Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is payable to people
under pensionable age who are available for, and actively seeking,
work of at least 40 hours a week.
TOTAL JSA CLAIMANTS (JUNE 2010)
| | Tameside
(numbers)
| Tameside
(%) | North West
(%)
| Great Britain
(%) |
| All people | 6,271 | 4.7
| 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Males | 4,627 | 6.6
| 5.9 | 5.1 |
| Females | 1,644 | 2.6
| 2.3 | 2.2 |
Source: ONS claimant count with rates and proportions
Note: % is a proportion of resident working age population
of area and gender
JSA CLAIMANTS BY AGE AND DURATION (JUNE 2010)
| | Tameside
(numbers)
| Tameside
(%) | North West
(%)
| Great Britain
(%) |
| By age of claimant |
| Aged 18-24 | 2,050 | 32.7
| 29.5 | 27.4 |
| Aged 25-49 | 3,360 | 53.7
| 56.3 | 56.6 |
| Aged 50 and over | 830 | 13.3
| 13.9 | 15.6 |
| By duration of claim |
| Up to 6 months | 3,575 | 57.1
| 60.6 | 60.3 |
| Over 6 up to 12 months | 1,375
| 22.0 | 21.3 | 21.6
|
| Over 12 months | 1,305 | 20.9
| 18.2 | 18.1 |
Source: ONS claimant count — age and duration.
Note: % is a proportion of all JSA claimants.
Over 12 months — short time-series Tameside
| Date | Tameside
| Tameside
(%) | North West
(%)
| Great Britain
(%) |
| Jan 2006 | 285 | 9.1
| 12.5 | 13.9 |
| Feb 2006 | 295 | 9.0
| 12.3 | 13.8 |
| Mar 2006 | 290 | 8.7
| 12.6 | 14.0 |
| Apr 2006 | 310 | 9.3
| 13.0 | 14.5 |
| May 2006 | 310 | 9.6
| 13.7 | 15.2 |
| Jun 2006 | 305 | 9.5
| 14.2 | 15.7 |
| Jul 2006 | 350 | 10.8
| 14.6 | 16.0 |
| Aug 2006 | 360 | 11.1
| 14.6 | 16.2 |
| Sep 2006 | 355 | 11.0
| 15.1 | 16.7 |
| Oct 2006 | 350 | 11.1
| 15.5 | 17.1 |
| Nov 2006 | 350 | 11.1
| 15.7 | 17.1 |
| Dec 2006 | 365 | 11.5
| 15.7 | 17.0 |
| Jan 2007 | 365 | 10.6
| 15.0 | 16.5 |
| Feb 2007 | 370 | 10.6
| 14.8 | 16.2 |
| Mar 2007 | 385 | 10.9
| 14.9 | 16.3 |
| Apr 2007 | 370 | 11.1
| 15.2 | 16.7 |
| May 2007 | 360 | 11.0
| 15.4 | 16.9 |
| Jun 2007 | 350 | 11.1
| 15.6 | 17.0 |
| Jul 2007 | 355 | 10.8
| 15.1 | 16.6 |
| Aug 2007 | 355 | 10.7
| 14.7 | 16.1 |
| Sep 2007 | 345 | 10.7
| 14.5 | 16.1 |
| Oct 2007 | 325 | 10.5
| 14.5 | 16.0 |
| Nov 2007 | 330 | 10.6
| 14.4 | 15.6 |
| Dec 2007 | 340 | 11.1
| 13.8 | 14.8 |
| Jan 2008 | 360 | 11.0
| 13.2 | 14.0 |
| Feb 2008 | 335 | 10.2
| 12.6 | 13.1 |
| Mar 2008 | 320 | 9.3
| 12.4 | 12.8 |
| Apr 2008 | 330 | 9.5
| 12.3 | 12.6 |
| May 2008 | 330 | 9.6
| 12.2 | 12.4 |
| Jun 2008 | 330 | 9.7
| 12.1 | 12.1 |
| Jul 2008 | 335 | 9.3
| 11.5 | 11.5 |
| Aug 2008 | 325 | 8.5
| 10.9 | 10.8 |
| Sep 2008 | 320 | 8.4
| 10.7 | 10.5 |
| Oct 2008 | 310 | 7.9
| 10.5 | 10.3 |
| Nov 2008 | 315 | 7.2
| 9.8 | 9.5 |
| Dec 2008 | 315 | 6.6
| 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Jan 2009 | 335 | 6.3
| 8.7 | 8.4 |
| Feb 2009 | 355 | 5.9
| 8.0 | 7.7 |
| Mar 2009 | 390 | 6.2
| 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Apr 2009 | 410 | 6.3
| 8.1 | 7.7 |
| May 2009 | 445 | 6.8
| 8.6 | 8.2 |
| Jun 2009 | 480 | 7.3
| 9.1 | 8.7 |
| Jul 2009 | 535 | 8.0
| 9.6 | 9.1 |
| Aug 2009 | 620 | 8.8
| 10.3 | 9.8 |
| Sep 2009 | 705 | 10.1
| 11.1 | 10.6 |
| Oct 2009 | 785 | 11.4
| 12.0 | 11.5 |
| Nov 2009 | 890 | 13.0
| 13.3 | 12.7 |
| Dec 2009 | 995 | 14.6
| 14.2 | 13.6 |
| Jan 2010 | 1,100 | 15.3
| 14.7 | 14.2 |
| Feb 2010 | 1,175 | 16.3
| 15.4 | 14.8 |
| Mar 2010 | 1,225 | 17.7
| 16.2 | 15.7 |
| Apr 2010 | 1,255 | 18.4
| 16.9 | 16.6 |
| May 2010 | 1,295 | 19.8
| 17.7 | 17.5 |
| Jun 2010 | 1,305 | 20.9
| 18.2 | 18.1 |
| Jul 2010 | 1,315 | 21.2
| 17.9 | 18.0 |
Source: ONS claimant count — age and duration
Note: % is a proportion of all JSA claimants
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6 September 2010
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