Schemes offer hope on Fylde Coast unemployment

Unemployment rates on the FYlde coast remain fairly static despite an improving national picture

Nationally, the July figures show that employment reached a record high of 74.5 per cent, with 31.8 million people in work.

A total of 1.64 million people were unemployed, 207,000 down compared with a year ago, giving a jobless rate of 4.9 per cent the lowest for eight years.

However in Blackpool North and Cleveleys there were 1,440 people claiming work age benefits, down just 0.1 per cent on the same period of the year in 2015.

Blackpool South had 2,005 claiming, a rise of 0.1 per cent, Fylde had 625 claimants up 0.1 per cent and Lancaster and Fleetwood had 925 claimants also up 0.1 per cent on last year.

Wyre and Preston North had 360 claimants in July, the same as last year.

Karl Worsley, employer and partnerships manager from the Jobcentre in Blackpool, said they had seen a small drop in the claimant count overall on the Fylde coast.

He said: “We are currently working with PHX Training to run a sector based works academy for the Pleasure Beach which is looking to fill 15 positions.

“At the Blackpool North Jobcentre in Queen Street we are involved in the Brighter Futures scheme along with The Princes Trust, Groundwork, Venture Learning, Intraining, Illuminate and Blackpool and The Fylde College talking to 18-24 year -olds.

“It is open to anyone of that age even if they are in work at the moment but are thinking about looking for something new. It starts on August 24 from 2pm to 4pm and it should be a lively interactive programme.” He added that a large number of civil service jobs were coming up this autumn in nearby Preston.