Last month, Richard tweeted his delight at Newbury’s “powerhouse” economy. He asserted that the number of residents claiming jobseeker’s allowance had fallen by 20% in twelve months.
Unemployment in Newbury constituency in December was 385 claimants. Down 70% since 2010. Down 20% on a year ago #powerhouseeconomy
— Richard Benyon (@RichardBenyonMP) January 18, 2017
Ignoring the challenges of assuming fewer claimants means we are living in a “powerhouse” economy (zero-hours contracts anyone?), this was in contradiction to a recent Newbury Weekly News article which claimed unemployment had risen over the past twelve months.
Reviewing data released by the Office of National Statistics confirms the figures reported in the Newbury Weekly News.
Source: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/…/sub…/cc_time_series/report.aspx
Out-of-work benefit claimants rose from 480 in December 2015 to 590 in December 2016, an increase of 23%!
We have reached out to Richard to ask for an explanation, although the figures speak for themselves. Hopefully Newbury’s MP is not following Donald Trump and embracing “alternative facts”.
Could you cite your source? Nomis statistics suggest a 23% INCREASE since a year before. https://t.co/2pGyg5O8PO https://t.co/56EmM2MQga
— Newbury Green Party (@newburygreens) February 7, 2017
West Berkshire Green Party is committed to the truth, so we’re happy to update Mr Benyon’s tweet for him!