Wednesday 17 March 2010

Can't Stop the Spring

Two pieces of good news on the intervention and investment -v- 'savage' cuts, inaction and indecision front today... Unemployment down 33,000 (remember when economists predicted it could reach 5 million in this recession?) and the DfT announces £43 million investment in the Ashton Vale-Temple Meads Rapid Transit Link. There is also £11m announcement for a Weston scheme.

Note that the press release from the West of England Partnership gives a Tory councillor from North Somerset and a Lib Dem councillor from Bristol as contacts should the press require further information. That's fair enough, seeing as they're portfolio holders in the respective local authorities, but watch out for them trying to take all the credit without any mention of the Labour government giving the go-ahead and providing the funding.

Expect a Focus leaflet through your door any day now claiming credit for Lib Dem 'delivering on transport investment'. NB Lib Dems are not responsible for extra police officers and PCSOs either. That was Labour too. And the school improvements.

I could go on...

1 comment:

jmedwards said...

Kerry

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/lmsuk0310.pdf

Disappointed you haven't looked at the actual figures.

Number in employment (aged
16+) and rate (working age): Down 54,000

Unemployment (aged 16+): Down 33,000

BUT...

Inactivity (working age) up 149,000


"However, the number of people unemployed for more than 12 months
increased by 61,000 over the quarter to reach 687,000, the highest figure since the three monthsto August 1997."