A UK unemployment hotspot ravaged by crack dealers and crime has been slammed amid claims that a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Jobcentre encourages locals to claim benefits. Middlesbrough is becoming the UK's unemployment capital, according to a report.
Community Leader Speaks Out
Mike Milen, 63, CEO of the Community Ventures scheme, told the Sun: "Out of the people we see, about 80 per cent are out of work, and everyone is on some sort of benefit. The stories we hear from people coming in, the levels of abuse. There are teenage girls who think it's acceptable for their male partners to beat them up."
Challenges in Employment
Mike, whose organisation has offered jobs renovating houses, said: "You would not believe the challenge in getting people to turn up for five days of work just because you are paying them. A lot of jobs here are temporary, which can cause more problems for people than not working because of all the expenses, and then your benefits stop. The jobcentre doesn't want you on the unemployment list, it wants you on some kind of benefit. The system encourages people to claim."
Mike added: "The council has a whole team that works on helping people maximise their benefits income, and there are families with eight, nine or ten children. It's mind-blowing."
Mental Health Perspective
A mental health worker added: "Middlesbrough has a lot of deprivation generally, poor educational standards and child poverty. People don't get the start here they would in some other areas, but there is a lot of effort going into trying to get people into work and get them job-ready. The council are investing in it too."
Council Response
A Middlesbrough Council spokesman says that while NEET rates are much higher in areas like the Thorntree Estate, "the percentage of 16 to 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training in Middlesbrough is 4.1 per cent compared to the North East average of five per cent. We continue to work with a range of partners to develop opportunities and support our young people to achieve positive outcomes that are right for them."
