Tories are ‘out of touch on jobs’ - Torfaen AM (From Free Press Series)

Tories are ‘out of touch on jobs’ - Torfaen AM

8:20pm Friday 19th October 2012 in News

A VALLEYS AM has claimed local Tories are “totally out of touch” after Monmouthshire AM Nick Ramsay hailed falling unemployment in Wales despite figures in parts of Gwent, including in his own constituency rising.

Torfaen AM, Lynne Neagle, said: “In these incredibly difficult times even a very modest rise in the number of local jobs is good news. But it says it all that local Tories are effusively welcoming this national fall in unemployment when conditions are so bleak in their own back yard – they are out of touch with the concerns of people in places like Gwent.”

Mr Ramsay later expressed his concern at the fragile nature of the economic recovery in Gwent.

But earlier in the day Ramsay had welcomed the new figures, saying: “Unemployment can have a terrible impact on the family and the wider community so news of a fall in joblessness and a significant rise in employment is very welcome.”

His comments came against a backdrop of stagnant unemployment in his own Monmouthshire constituency where the total number of claimants rose by a single claimant from 1,458 in August to 1,459 this month.

Put in context though the new total, released through the Office of National Statistics’ monthly count of those claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) was an increase of 254 claimants on September 2011’s figures.

Youth unemployment remained high with eight per cent of all 18 to 24-year-olds in Monmouthshire claiming JSA, up from 7.6 per cent at the same time last year.

Of the five Gwent councils, only Monmouthshire with 2.7 per cent of the population claiming JSA was within the Welsh average of 4.1 per cent.