STUNELL: STOCKPORT YOUNGSTERS BECOMING A LOST GENERATION AS 1 IN 10 ARE UNEMPLOYED

10.21.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 12th Oct 2009

One in ten of Stockport's youngsters are unemployed and they are fast becoming a lost generation according to research highlighted by Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell.

The figures were released last week by the Office for National Statistics, and Mr Stunell says they make grim reading.

• There are now 8,426 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Stockport, up from 6,539 in January, and higher than when Labour came to power in 1997.

• 2,670 of them are between the ages of 16-24, a third of the total

• One in ten of the Borough's youngsters are now unemployed.

Last week, The Lib Dems announced their "Lifeboat for a Lost Generation" plan to get all unemployed youngsters in to work or training within three months of being unemployed. Here in Stockport, the Borough's Lib Dem Council are working hard with local businesses to tackle the scourge by offering jobless school leavers extended work experience placements to help them back into the world of work.

Now Mr Stunell wants to see Government action to stop unemployment becoming a way of life for Stockport's youngsters.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell said:

"Stockport's youngsters are fast becoming a lost generation. Parents used to worry about whether their children could get onto the housing ladder, yet now the concern is whether they'll even be able to get a job.

"The government's response to this unemployment crisis has been shameful. They've left youngsters waiting for up to a year on benefits before being offered help. And the Tories actually plan to make it worse by cutting public investment and slashing jobs more deeply.

"We need real action to tackle this problem now. That's why a Liberal Democrat government would guarantee that young people will not be unemployed for longer than 90 days before we find them work or training - paid for by scrapping the pointless VAT cut.

"The government need to wake up and act quickly, before unemployment becomes a way of life for young people in Stockport."

ENDS