Wirral loses 5,000 jobs in decade

Jul 26 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

THE number of jobs in parts of Wirral has dropped by 5,000 since Labour came to power in 1997, according to Birkenhead MP Frank Field.

The outspoken MP has used the latest figures to back up his calls on the government to review its plans to move Inland Revenue employees from the borough.

According to the figures obtained by Mr Field, while Merseyside as a whole has experienced an increase of 77,000 jobs between 1997 and 2005 (the latest figures available) this growth has not been felt in all areas.

During this same period Birkenhead and Wallasey have seen a fall of 5,000 jobs between them, while Wirral West and Wirral South have seen an increase of 4,000 jobs, Liverpool Riverside has gained a massive 26,000 new jobs and most other constituencies have also seen numbers of jobs increase.

Now Mr Field has written to Jane Kennedy, MP for Wavertree in Liverpool and the new Financial Secretary at the Treasury, urging that the proposed transfer of Revenue jobs out of Birkenhead be dropped and additional jobs be relocated from the south east.Š

Consultation began in May by the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which currently has offices in Liverpool, Bootle, Birkenhead, St Helens, Widnes and Chester, to “co-locate” its staff in fewer buildings.

Although the HMRC denied there will be any job losses as a result, it has confirmed it wants to cut the number of staff in the Liverpool region from 6,101 to 5,400 by 2008 as part of a national cost-cutting drive, and there are fears for the jobs of those currently based in Birkenhead.

Mr Field has also briefed Angela Eagle, MP for Wallasey, now Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, on the findings.

Ms Eagle had already taken up this issue up with colleagues and had meetings with the Inland Revenue before she became a minister.

Mr Field said: “The Government should drop its proposed Inland Revenue jobs cuts on the Wirral.

“These new figures also make the case for a generous allocation of jobs coming from London and the South East.”

Mr Field has written to Andy Burnham MP, Chief Secretary at HM Treasury, asking for a meeting on how the Government’s relocation policy should be developed to combat Wirral’s loss of new jobs.

In findings revealed recently, Frank Field had also shown that each Merseyside constituency has risen in the ranking of constituencies with the largest number of Job Seekers Allowance claimants since 2004.

Earlier this year a report to Wirral Council said many residents are caught within “a low-pay, no-pay cycle” after it was revealed that the number of unemployed people in Wirral had shot up by 30% in two years.

In May 2007 employment in Wirral stood at 71%, well below the target of 76% to be achieved by 2012, which would require an extra 9,500 people to be in work.

liammurphy