Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, has called out the Conservative Government for its inability to tackle unemployment in the constituency and accused them of being “more concerned about internal battles than solving the cost of living crisis.”
Bristol South has seen a 6% increase this month (155 people) and 28% increase (615 people) since March 2020 in total unemployment. There are now 2,840 individuals in the constituency now out of work, education of training.
There has also been an 8% rise (40 people) this month and a 19% rise (85 people) since March 2020 in unemployment among 18–24-year-olds. This means there are 535 young people not in work or education in the area.
These figures represent the highest rise in all four of the Bristol constituencies. Bristol West comes a distant second with a 2% month-on-month increase in total unemployment and -2% decrease in youth unemployment.
Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, said:
“The Tories are more concerned about internal battles than solving the cost of living crisis. They are riven with divisions and have become so distracted by personality differences they are failing everyone in Bristol.
“It is particularly worrying to see the rise in youth unemployment, a cohort that are vulnerable to the challenges of being out of work and who then have to find themselves a way into the market without work experience in those formative years. I know that there is fantastic work happening in places such as the City of Bristol College to support young people into apprenticeships and work, but there needs to be a stronger emphasis on the importance of these programmes from central Government and support for them to reach a wider range of people.
“Education and work go hand-in-hand and is the way to allow families to support themselves and to live with dignity. The Tory Government must do the right thing: call a General Election and let the Labour Party deliver a fairer economy for all.”