HC Deb 01 March 1983 vol 38 cc91-7W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list travel-to-work areas in rank order according to the percentage increase in the number unemployed in the area during the period May 1979 to October 1982.

Mr. Alison

[pursuant to his reply, 28 February 1983, c. 56]: The following table gives, for each travel-to-work area, the percentage increase in the numbers registered as unemployed—the old basis of the count—between May 1979 and October 1982. The areas are listed in rank order for each region separately. The numbers on which the increases are based include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.

South East Percentage increases
Slough* 305.3
High Wycombe* 288.8
Hitchin* 285.0
Aldershot* 282.1
Hertford* 276.6
St Albans* 273.7
Stevenage 271.9
Buckingham 264.2
Watford* 257.7
Crawley* 252.9
Harlow* 252.2
Aylesbury 252.1
Andover 251.2
Ashord (Kent) 243.3
Reading* 242.8
Luton* 242.6
Guildford* 232.4
Harwich 222.3
Braintree* 212.8
Chelmsford* 212.3
Bedford* 209.4
Tunbridge Wells* 205.3
Milton Keynes 199.8
Maidstone 198.1
Chatham* 197.8

South East Percentage increases
Alton 191.1
Greater London* 190.2
Newport (IOW)* 187.2
Southend-on-Sea* 183.2
Southampton* 178.9
Colchester 176.5
Banbury 175.0
Basingstoke 174.6
Worthing* 171.1
Eastbourne* 169.1
Newbury 167.5
Canterbury* 164.2
Chichester* 158.1
Portsmouth* 157.0
Hastings* 151.1
Lymington 149.5
Sittingbourne* 149.0
Clacton-on-Sea 147.5
Sheerness 142.6
Dover 142.5
Folkstone* 142.1
Margate 133.4
Oxford* 123.4
Brighton* 122.8
Ramsgate* 121.8
Cranbrook 116.3
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

Percentage increase
East Anglia
Haverhill 248.3
St. Neots 200.9
North Walsham 200.3
Huntingdon 198.3
Sudbury 197.3
Peterborough 196.3
Thetford* 194.3
Lowestoft 192.5
Diss 178.8
Norwich* 170.6
Ipswich* 165.6
Cambridge 161.7
Beccles* 160.4
Leiston 159.9
March 145.5
Newmarket* 145.1
Fakenham 137.0
Wisbech 112.8
Great Yarmouth 108.5
Bury St. Edmunds 104.6
Dereham 104.2
Hunstanton 103.5
Kings Lynn 101.8
Cromer 86.2
Downham Market 74.6
Ely 73.2
Halesworth 35.9
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

South West Percentage increase
Wareham* 258.3
Forest of Dean* 238.2
Minehead 221.9
Devizes 200.7
Dursley 198.6
Chard 190.2
Wells* 185.3
Trowbridge* 181.6
Stroud* 173.6
Midsomer Norton 172.7

South West Percentage increase
Bournemouth* 170.6
Cirencester 167.6
Gloucester 163.2
Liskeard* 162.0
Blandford 161.4
Frome 156.5
Salisbury* 141.4
Cheltenham* 133.4
Taunton 127.1
Swindon 124.8
Newquay 123.2
Weymouth 122.1
Warminster 121.9
Dorchester 121.7
Chippenham* 121.6
Bridgwater* 120.1
Bristol* 116.8
Yeovil* 115.8
St. Austell 114.1
Torbay* 112.9
Tiverton 111.8
Plymouth* 109.7
Ilfracombe 106.6
Barnstaple 105.8
Weston-Super-Mare 105.4
Wadebridge 104.1
Bridport 103.1
Bath 99.9
Honiton 93.6
Axminster* 91.3
Exeter* 91.3
Okehampton 87.8
Bideford 86.8
Redruth* 85.9
Truro 84.1
Falmouth 83.7
Bude 83.4
St. Ives 81.0
Shaftesbury 78.7
Launceston 78.1
Bodmin 77.3
Penzance 75.1
Helston 67.9
Camelford 63.4
Kingsbridge 58.7
Dartmouth 52.4
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

West Midlands Percentage increase
Redditch 332.5
Dudley and Sandwell* 313.4
Stratford on Avon 297.3
Walsall* 278.8
Stoke-on-Trent* 260.8
Shrewsbury 242.2
Uttoxeter 238.6
Wolverhampton* 221.4
Birmingham* 213.3
Burton-on-Trent 210.1
Leamington 204.5
Whitchurch 201.4
Worcester* 195.5
Evesham 195.0
Stafford* 194.6
Kidderminster* 191.7
Rugby 181.4
Coventry* 176.4
Oakengates* 175.3
Market Drayton 166.8
Oswestry 144.9
Ross-on-Wye 139.5
Leek 137.6
Ludlow 134.1

West Midlands Percentage increase
Hereford 127.7
Ledbury 100.4
Leominster 96.4
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

Percentage increase
East Midlands
Rushden 433.3
Buxton* 336.6
Matlock* 301.0
Hinckley 293.0
Kettering 288.9
Wellingborough 277.0
Northampton* 248.3
Corby 228.5
Market Harborough 221.3
Loughborough 218.1
Derby* 210.9
Melton Mowbray 202.6
Chesterfield* 195.2
Alfreton 194.4
Coalville* 182.5
Sutton-in-Ashfield 179.2
Stamford* 176.4
Newark 173.5
Leicester* 173.3
Retford 165.5
Nottingham* 159.8
Louth 159.5
Worksop 146.8
Grantham 139.0
Mansfield 125.0
Holbeach 112.2
Lincoln 107.1
Gainsborough 105.3
Skegness 95.9
Sleaford 95.1
Spalding 88.3
Mablethorp 84.8
Horncastle 82.7
Boston 78.4
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

Yorkshire and Humberside Percentage increase
Todmorden 285.2
Halifax* 270.5
Huddersfield 263.8
Scunthorpe* 244.5
Skipton 243.5
Dewsbury* 226.0
Sheffield* 220.6
Selby 219.6
Driffield 210.7
Rotherham 196.7
Keighley 194.3
Leeds* 178.0
Filey 167.1
Ripon 165.2
Northallerton 164.6
Harrowgate 162.6
Goole 162.2
Bradford* 157.6
Wakefield* 150.7
Castleford* 147.6
Barnsley* 143.9
Doncaster* 141.4
Grimsby 134.0
Scarborough 132.7
Maltby 131.7
Mexborough* 127.5

Yorkshire and Humberside Percentage increase
Whitby 120.5
York 116.9
Bridlington 111.2
Hull* 110.7
Richmond 108.6
Thirsk 106.7
Malton 98.9
Pickering 70.0
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

North West Percentage increase
Accrington* 310.5
Oldham* 303.8
Rossendale* 301.8
Ashton-under-Lyne 277.2
Nelson* 265.3
Northwich* 261.8
Barnoldswick 261.4
Bury* 250.9
Clitheroe 244.3
Crewe* 234.2
Rochdale 227.4
Warrington* 225.7
Burnley* 221.2
Bolton* 207.8
Macclesfield 203.9
Leigh* 202.5
Preston* 187.7
Manchester* 182.9
Blackburn* 158.7
Southport 156.0
Chester 147.1
St. Helens 138.3
Wigan* 129.0
Lancaster* 126.2
Widnes* 119.5
Blackpool* 115.2
Ormskirk* 110.6
Birkenhead* 109.6
Liverpool* 69.1
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

North Percentage increase
Kendal* 198.5
Workington* 181.0
Berwick-on-Tweed 177.3
Hexham 172.8
Haltwhistle 170.7
Penrith 167.7
Consett* 164.5
Darlington/South West Durham* 156.2
Central Durham* 143.7
Teesside* 136.2
Carlisle 131.7
Morpeth* 119.4
Alnwick* 112.4
Furness* 112.1
Keswick 111.3
North Tyne* 109.8
Whitehaven* 98.3
Peterlee* 96.9
South Tyne* 92.7
Barnard Castle 88.3
Wearside* 79.6
Hartlepool 76.2
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

Percentage increase
Wales
Newtown 306.4
Barmouth 259.4
Pembroke Dock 224.4
Tenby 188.2
Llanelli* 187.2
Shotton* 182.2
Port Talbot* 166.0
Machynlleth 165.5
Welshpool 152.0
Merthyr Tydfil* 146.5
Llandrindod Wells 141.1
Milford Haven* 139.4
Monmouth 139.2
Newport* 131.8
Neath* 131.5
Pontypool* 131.1
Swansea* 128.3
Pwllheli* 127.5
Llanrwst 122.5
Aberystwyth 120.4
Pontypridd* 116.7
Carmarthen 115.1
Aberdare 114.8
Llandeilo 110.3
Denbigh 109.9
Caernarvon* 109.0
Cardiff* 107.2
Brecon 97.1
Wrexham* 96.5
Tywyn 95.7
Llandudno* 94.8
Rhyl 93.3
Ebbw Vale* 91.8
Bargoed* 91.6
Cardigan 81.0
Holyhead* 79.3
Llangollen 78.7
Blaenau Ffestiniog 77.9
Lampeter* 75.8
Fishguard 63.7
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

Percentage increase
Scotland
Peebles 316.0
Galashiels 190.0
Lerwick 189.3
Thurso 182.5
Falkirk* 180.8
Fraserburgh 177.6
Bathgate* 169.7
Stirling* 157.1
Paisley* 157.0
Buckie 152.7
Hawick 151.3
Fort William 150.7
Nairn 143.3
Kilmarnock 140.0
Dunoon 131.5
Forfar 126.5
Edinburgh* 125.4
Aberdeen* 123.2
Dumfries* 122.9
Arbroath 121.0
Kirkwall 120.9
Montrose 117.6
Blairgowrie 116.7
Peterhead 113.9
Stornoway 113.6
North Lanarkshire* 112.9
Glasgow* 108.5
Girvan 108.4

Percentage increase
Kirkcaldy* 105.6
Cumnock 105.1
Perth 105.1
Irvine* 104.8
Dunfermline* 104.7
Oban 103.3
Elgin 102.1
Kelso 101.6
Dingwall* 100.0
Anstruther 99.3
St. Andrews 96.9
Forres 94.0
Dumbarton* 93.8
Dundee 93.7
Ayr* 88.6
Stranraer 86.4
Haddington 81.3
Castle Douglas 78.9
Greenock* 75.8
Banff 74.2
Lanark* 71.7
Newton Stewart 71.3
Campeltown 70.7
Lochgilphead 66.0
Rothesay 65.7
Wick 64.5
Eyemouth 63.0
Cupar 61.9
Inverness 61.6
Sanquhar 60.8
Huntly 23.6
Portree 16.3
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.

Percentage increase
Northern Ireland
Downpatrick* 140.6
Ballymena* 125.4
Belfast* 119.6
Craigavon* 108.8
Londonderry* 92.0
Coleraine* 89.1
Omagh 86.4
Enniskillen 86.0
Dungannon 80.5
Armagh 68.2
Newry 67.1
Cookstown 61.3
Strabane 58.9
* Travel-to-work areas consisting of two or more jobcentre areas.