EXCLUSIVE: The area is one of the most deprived in the UK and the local people have had enough.
Daily Express reporter Toby Codd visited the UK’s benefits capital (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
A deprived area of a major UK city has been dubbed as the nation’s “benefits capital”, with a high proportion of the working-age population out of employment. The constituency has become one of the most deprived parts of the nation and the message from local residents is clear.
Liverpool Walton, which includes Norris Green, Croxteth, Clubmoor and Fazakerley, has the highest rate of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants in the country, with almost 15,000 working-age residents receiving the benefit – equivalent to around 23% of the working-age population. Meanwhile, approximately 39% of households in the area receive Universal Credit, while around 6% of the economically active population claim unemployment-related benefits. I visited the area at the end of June and the issues facing residents were clear to see.
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Shops are boarded up in Liverpool Walton (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
I arrived and parked on Utting Avenue East in the heart of the Norris Green suburb of the city and immediately noticed boarded up shops and shuttered units. Like many other parts of the UK, it seemed the neighbourhood had been hit hard by increasing costs and declining footfall.
After chatting with several locals, it soon became clear that jobs in and around the area are scarce and low-paying. Lindsay Taylor, a 47-year-old business owner, told me she is concerned that her four daughters may never be able to afford homes of their own, as property prices in the area have risen far faster than wages.
The concerned mother said: “They’re probably going to live with me forever because they won’t be able to afford it. And they’re hardworking girls as well. But you get nothing back nowadays. I don’t feel like there’s any help and support for us anymore.”
According to data from the Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group, the average household income in the Walton area of Liverpool is around £33,000 a year. This is lower than the national average of £37,500 and the local people are now crying out for better employment opportunities.
Lindsay Taylor is concerned for the future of her daughter (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
Gwen Tulley said she knows people who cannot get work in the area (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
Gwen Tulley, an 84-year-old pensioner who has lived in Liverpool Walton her whole life, told me that she knows of many people who want work but can’t get a job. She summed up the situation: “There just aren’t enough job opportunities, and I think that’s one of the biggest problems facing the area.”
It soon became clear that the scarcity of well-paying and stable jobs has forced some people in the area to rely on support such as Universal Credit. While some can’t be bothered to work, others are genuinely without the opportunity to find employment.
The UK Parliament Research Briefings ranks Liverpool Walton among the 15 constituencies in England with the highest average Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores. The measure incorporates income, employment, education, skills and training, health deprivation, crime, barriers to housing and services, and living environment.
The area of Liverpool is known as the UK’s “benefits capital”. (Image: Humphrey Nemar)
Like other deprived areas of the UK, Liverpool Walton is struggling with the vicious circle of surging benefit claims and closing businesses. As economic inactivity rises, the workforce weakens and businesses are forced to shut which means jobs are not available to local people.
The people of Liverpool Walton are not calling for a large factory or automotive plant to be built in their constituency to create hundreds of jobs overnight. All they are asking for is a little support – an opportunity to give their community a fair chance to thrive.
This could come in the form of increased backing for small and medium-sized businesses. By doing so, Liverpool City Council would help keep public money circulating while prioritising local services and creating jobs.
As with most parts of the UK, people claim welfare out of laziness but some of the residents I spoke with in Liverpool Walton were obviously hard-working and honest people. They deserve more support to help create more employment and drop the rate of working-age people that claim government support.