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Local Unemployment Rates

Volume 952: debated on Tuesday 20 June 1978

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asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he proposes to bring up to date the basis for the local unemployment rates now being published.

whole week from those who worked part of the week but it does not provide details of those stood off for longer periods. Statistics are available for Great Britain but not for the Macclesfield constituency. Great Britain statistics from January 1977 to March 1978 are shown in table II.

Figures giving the total cost per month of temporary employment subsidies to the textile industry in Great Britain are not available, but the total estimated expenditure per quarter is shown in table III.

My Department has recently completed a review of the groupings of employment office areas into travel-to-work areas, which are the smallest areas for which meaningful unemployment rates can be calculated. The travel-to-work areas hitherto in use were, in the main, based on information from the 1961 Census of Population. As a result of changes in travel-to-work patterns since then, the published local unemployment rates in some cases no longer accurately reflect the local employment situation.People normally register as unemployed at the employment office nearest their home, while statistics for those in employment relate to their place of work. An unemployment rate, expressing the number of the registered unemployed as a percentage of the total number of insured employees—employed and unemployed—is meaningful only if it relates to an area which is self-contained in travel-to-work terms, that is, if the great majority of the people who work in the area also live there, and vice versa. When a single employment office area does not meet these criteria it is grouped with one or more other employment office areas with which it does form a relatively self-contained travel-to-work area.The recent review was based on travel-to-work data obtained from the 1971 Census of Population and also took account of developments which have affected travel-to-work patterns since the Census was taken.The majority of travel-to-work areas will remain unchanged, but the review has led to the introduction of a number of new groupings. I have already consulted those hon. Members whose constituencies are affected by these changes.Local unemployment percentage rates will be calculated on the basis of the revised network of travel-to-work areas with effect from the unemployment count taken on 8th June 1978. The following list shows those employment office areas which are affected in their new or revised travel-to-work groupings. Except where a separate travel-to-work area title is given, travel-to-work areas are known by the name of the first employment office area listed.

South-East

  • Aldershot, Camberley, Farnborough, Farnham, Fleet.
  • Bedford, Biggleswade.
  • Chatham, Gillingham, Gravesend.
  • Crawley, Burgess Hill, Dorking, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Redhill.
  • Guildford, Godalming, Woking.
  • Harlow, Bishops Stortford, Epping, Saffron Walden.
  • Hitchin, Letchworth, Royston.
  • Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Liphook, Petersfield.
  • Ramsgate, Deal, Sandwich.
  • Southampton, Eastleigh, Hythe, Romsey, Winchester, Woolston.
  • Greater London Travel to Work Area covers Employment Offices in the GLC area plus Boreham Wood, Brentwood, Caterham, Dartford, Epsom, Esher, Leatherhead, Loughton, Staines, Waltham Cross, Weybridge. (The unemployment rate for the GLC area alone will continue to be published).

East Anglia

  • Ipswich, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Stow-market.
  • Mildenhall, Newmarket.
  • Thetford, Brandon, Swaffham.
  • Bury St. Edmunds (no longer to be grouped with other employment office areas).

South-West

  • Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Ringwood, Wimborne.
  • Cheltenham, Tewkesbury.
  • Chippenham, Corsham.
  • Torbay Travel to Work Area covers Ashburton, Bovey Tracey, Brixham, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Teignmouth, Torquay, Totnes.
  • Trowbridge, Melksham.

West Midlands

  • Birmingham, Aston, Bromsgrove, Chelmsley Wood, Erdington, Handsworth, Selly Oak, Small Heath, Solihull, Sparkhill, Sutton Coldtield, Tamworth, Washwood Heath.
  • Dudley & Sandwell Travel to Work Area covers Cradley Heath, Dudley, Halesowen, Kingswinford, Oldbury, Smethwick, Stour-bridge, Tipton, Wednesbury, West Bromwich.
  • Oakengates, Bridgnorth, Madeley, Wellington.
  • Walshall, Aldridge, Brownhills, Cannock, Darlaston, Lichfield, Rugeley, Willenhall.
  • Worcester, Droitwich, Malvern, Pershore.

East Midlands

  • Coalville, Swadlincote.
  • Derby, Belper.
  • Northampton, Daventry, Towcester.
  • Nottingham, Arnold, Basford and Bulwell, Beeston, Heanor, Hucknall, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Netherfield.
  • Stamford, Bourne, Oakham.

Yorkshire and Humberside

  • Halifax, Elland, Brighouse, Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge.
  • Leeds, Bramley, Horsforth, Hunslet, Morley, Otley, Rothwell, Scacroft, Wetherby, Yeadon.
  • Sheffield, Chapeltown, Dinnington, Firth Park, Woodhouse.
  • Wakelield, Hemsworth, South Elmsall.

North-west

  • Birkenhead, Bebington, Ellesmere Port, Hoy-lake, Neston, Wallasey.
  • Crewe, Congleton, Nantwich, Sandbach.
  • Liverpool, Allerton, Belle Vale, Bootle, Crosby, Garston, Kirkby, Old Swan, Prescot, Walton.

North

  • Alnwick, Amble.
  • Darlington and South West Durham Travel to Work Area covers Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Shildon.
  • Central Durham Travel to Work Area covers Crook, Durham, Spennymoor.
  • Morpeth, Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Cramlington.
  • North Tyneside Travel to Work Area covers Newcastle on Tyne, Newburn, North Shields, Walker, Wallsend, West Moor, Whitley Bay.
  • South Tyneside Travel to Work Area covers Birtley, Blaydon, Chester-le-Street, East Boldon, Felling, Gateshead, Jarrow and Hebburn, Prudhoe, South Shields.
  • Wearside Travel to Work Area covers Houghton-le-Spring, Seaham, Southwick, Sunderland, Washington.
  • Whitehaven, Cleator Moor, Millom.

Wales

  • Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Conwy.
  • Llanelli, Ammanford, Burry Port, Garnant, Kidwelly, Tumble.
  • Milford Haven, Haverfordwest.
  • Newport, Chepstow, Newbridge, Risca.
  • Swansea, Gorseinon, Morriston, Pontardawe, Ystradgynlais.

Scotland

  • Glasgow Area Travel to Work Area covers Barrhead, Cambuslang Clydebank, Cumbernauld, East Kilbride, Easterhouse, Glasgow Central, Glasgow City, Govan, Hillington Kilsyth, Kinning Park, Kirkintilloch, Maryhill, Parkhead, Partick, Rutherglen, Shawlands, Springburn.
  • Greenock, Largs, Port Glasgow.
  • Lanark, Carluke, Lesmahagow.
  • North Lanarkshire Travel to Work Area covers Airdrie, Bellshill, Blantyre, Coatbridge, Hamilton, Larkhall, Motherwell, Shotts, Uddingston, Wishaw.
  • Paisley, Johnstone, Kilbirnie, Renfrew.