A deprived constituency in Liverpool has been dubbed the UK's 'benefits capital', with the highest rate of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants in the country. Almost 15,000 working-age residents in Liverpool Walton receive the benefit, equivalent to around 23% of the working-age population. Approximately 39% of households in the area receive Universal Credit, while around 6% of the economically active population claim unemployment-related benefits.
Daily Express reporter Toby Codd visited the area at the end of June and found boarded-up shops and shuttered units on Utting Avenue East in the heart of the Norris Green suburb. Residents said jobs in and around the area are scarce and low-paying.
Residents speak out on job shortages
Lindsay Taylor, a 47-year-old business owner, told the reporter she is concerned that her four daughters may never be able to afford homes of their own, as property prices have risen far faster than wages. She said: "They're probably going to live with me forever because they won't be able to afford it. And they're hardworking girls as well. But you get nothing back nowadays. I don't feel like there's any help and support for us anymore."
Gwen Tulley, an 84-year-old pensioner who has lived in Liverpool Walton her whole life, said she knows of many people who want work but can't get a job. She summed up the situation: "There just aren't enough job opportunities, and I think that's one of the biggest problems facing the area."
Deprivation and the vicious circle
According to data from the Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group, the average household income in the Walton area is around £33,000 a year, lower than the national average of £37,500. The UK Parliament Research Briefings ranks Liverpool Walton among the 15 constituencies in England with the highest average Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores. The measure incorporates income, employment, education, skills and training, health deprivation, crime, barriers to housing and services, and living environment.
Like other deprived areas of the UK, Liverpool Walton is struggling with the vicious circle of surging benefit claims and closing businesses. As economic inactivity rises, the workforce weakens and businesses are forced to shut, meaning jobs are not available to local people.
Call for support for small businesses
The people of Liverpool Walton are not calling for a large factory or automotive plant to be built in their constituency to create hundreds of jobs overnight. All they are asking for is a little support - an opportunity to give their community a fair chance to thrive. This could come in the form of increased backing for small and medium-sized businesses. By doing so, Liverpool City Council would help keep public money circulating while prioritising local services and creating jobs.
Some of the residents the reporter spoke with were obviously hard-working and honest people. They deserve more support to help create more employment and drop the rate of working-age people that claim government support.
