In last week’s Keighley News, Kris Hopkins MP commented on the most recent economic growth figures and took a congratulatory tone – MP welcomes new optimism (August 29).
However, those of his constituents hit by the Tory austerity cuts feel very differently.
Figures released by the TUC last week showed GDP per head is still 0.7 per cent less than when the coalition took office and 7.5 per cent less than the previous high point. In short, the figures he welcomes are in greatest part a result of population growth, not real improvement in the economic outlook for real people. The same research shows evidence of a cost-of-living crisis, with household incomes falling and the limited jobs being created being in low-paid, low-productivity sectors.
At the current rate of economic growth, his coalition government’s austerity policies will have led to a lost decade of economic growth. We will not reach the pre-recession level of GDP per head – £25,652 – until early 2018.
Mr Hopkins also raised the fall in unemployment in the constituency, but failed to mention it was still higher last month than when he was elected according to figures from the House of Commons’ own library. He ignored the huge rise in long-term unemployment from 285 in May 2010 to 775 people in Keighley today. Those people expect action to help them now. The district council is investing £4 million to create jobs whilst the Tory-led government stands by and does nothing to help those who want to work and gain a job.
Henri Murison Southfield Terrace Addingham
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