2nd November

PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS INCREASE IN LONDON AND SOUTH EAST AS CUTS BITE IN WEST MIDLANDS

New official figures show the number of public sector jobs has increased in the wealthiest parts of Britain – despite Government spending cuts which have cost thousands of people their jobs in the West Midlands.

The figures show that while both public and private sector employment in our region has declined over the last twelve months, London and the South East have seen public sector employment increase by almost 35,000.

Between June 2010 and June 2011 the West Midlands lost 26,100 public sector jobs and also saw a fall of 13,500 in private sector employment.

Think back to June last year. During the coalition's honeymoon period George Osborne predicted that job losses in the public sector would be more than offset by increased private sector employment. In the teeth of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s he claimed that two million extra jobs would be created. Now I know honeymoons are supposed to be times of hope and optimism about the future, when anything seems possible, but even so George Osborne’s prediction was stretching things a bit. Then and now it had more to do with wishful thinking than credible economics.

It’s clear that places like ours, which at 22% has one of the highest rates of public sector employment in the country and where 800 jobs are due to go at Dudley Council alone next year, need more protection from the Government's failing jobs policy.  

These shocking figures underline the huge challenges facing our area. We were hit harder in the downturn than anywhere else and these figures prove that it’s taking much longer for the West Midlands to recover.

We’ve got great strengths in our region; ingenuity, hard work and a background in manufacturing but we clearly need people in London to understand the severity and scale of the challenges we face.

All in it together? Who are they trying to kid?

PROUD TO BACK BRITISH LEGION CAMPAIGN

We’re all aware of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe our Armed Forces, both past and present and the important work the British Legion do to protect and improve the wellbeing of serving personnel, veterans and their families. I was therefore proud to vote in support of the British Legion’s campaign to save the Office of the Chief Coroner in Parliament last Tuesday.

This position was established by the last Government in order to oversee the inquests into the deaths of service personnel killed in action and its creation was welcomed by the Legion as an important step towards improving the working of the inquest system.

The British Legion had hoped its creation would be confirmed with the passage last Tuesday of the Public Bodies Bill through Parliament. But the Government ignored the pleas of the British Legion, and the majority of Tory MPs voted to leave it out of the Public Bodies Bill – effectively abolishing the position before it had been created.

They claim it would have been too expensive to implement but it looks to me that the Government is again prioritising ideological cutbacks over the needs of the public, particularly the bereaved families of our armed forces.

CAMERON SHOULD KEEP HIS PROMISE ON SURE START

Before the election David Cameron and Nick Clegg made personal promises to keep Children’s Centres open. Cameron said: “I want not just to repeat our commitment to keep Sure Start. But to set out how we will improve Sure Start.” People might be surprised then to find out that across the country 83% of councils are being forced to slash budgets, with 47 centres closed or earmarked for closure by April 2012.

The removal of ring fencing from the Government grant used to pay for Sure Start means councils are now free to spend the money on their own priorities – potentially filling potholes instead of supporting parents.

Sure Start Centres are a vital part of the community and centres like those at Kates Hill, Wrens Nest and Gornal in my constituency do a brilliant job in enabling parents and carers to access quality childcare. Worryingly the figures show that in Dudley the funding which pays for Sure Start is down 24% this year – a cut of £3.9 million. The Priory Children’s Centre is to lose £40,000 next year and faces further cuts the year after.

I’ve written to David Cameron demanding he lives up to his pre-election commitment to protect and build on Sure Start, and to take action now to ensure that no more centres close and no more services are lost.

TWITTER

Ps I’ve just started using twitter. I’m hoping it will make it easier for local people to keep up to date with what I’m doing in Dudley and Westminster – and easier for them to contact me and let me know if I can help. If you’re on twitter or there’s a local organisation I should be following, let me know. My user name is @IanAustinMP