Parts of Grimsby have been described as Britain’s ‘worklessness capital’
Poverty in a in Lincolnshire is said to be so bad it has been compared to life during Victorian times.
Figures released on Tuesday led to Grimsby being dubbed as they showed 53% of working-age people claimed benefits in the first three months of this year.
Reports since suggest part of the town is “awash” with county lines drugs gangs while a tragic combination of unemployment and addiction reportedly blight Grimsby’s East Marsh estate.
Canon John Ellis, who runs a project for young people, said he has never seen things so bad, adding: “People are being preyed on by drug dealers and gangs and spend what little money they have on drink and gambling.”
He told that for the first time ever the project has youngsters who when asked what school they go to will reply that they don’t go.
Mr Ellis said the levels of poverty are “Victorian”, but warned the local community needed to understand no cavalry would be coming to the rescue so people have to try and help themselves.
A majority of Grimsby’s population is deprived, ONS figures show
Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from the 2021 census show 47.6% of East Marsh’s population aged 16 years and over are economically inactive, meaning they have not been seeking work for the last four weeks or are unavailable to start work in the next fortnight.
Of its 10,700-strong population at the time, the majority experienced deprivation, while less than a third (27.8%) weren’t deprived, according to the ONS.
The East Marsh and Port neighbourhoods were identified as the UK’s “worklessness capital” in a Channel 4 documentary that first aired this week.
The description serves to underline the uphill struggle facing the Labour Government, which wants to get two million people into work under its “Get Britain Working” plan.
Grimsby local, John Burns, who said he was rendered homeless when a 14-year relationship ended, pointed out a flaw in the Government’s plan, which includes mental health support and job centres being overhauled.
Mr Burns told the : “It sounds good, but it’s not plausible. Of course I want to work, but my problem is I don’t have a roof. Every employer wants an address.”
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Some Grimsby locals defend their town, but admit it has problems
Food bank co-ordinator, Samantha Palmer, from The Rock Foundation, asked how someone can be forced into work who doesn’t know how to sustain employment.
She told the broadcaster at a basic level people need food, warmth and safety before they can do anything else, including work.
Unemployment in the town has long been linked to the decline of its fishing industry. Its heyday was in the 1950s, but reports suggest it had more or less died by the middle of the 1980s.
Despite reports of gloom some Grimsby locals have defended their town. Jackie Foxon said it’s not a “terrible” place and there are worse places to live.
She told : “It could just be better. It has gone downhill though and everything seems to be closing…
“Unemployment has always been a problem and a lot of it is to do with the decline of the fishing industry.”
A spokeswoman for North East Lincolnshire Council said the public and private sector are working with purpose and determination to generate opportunities and growth across the region.
She added that the challenges are recognised along with the fact there are no quick fixes, but progress is being made.
In Grimsby, this includes a multi-million pound Youth Zone, 130 new homes in the town centre and a new business hub.
Figures show crime has reduced by 11% in the town centre, which borders East Marsh, with one particular scheme resulting in a 43% drop in robberies, according to the local authority.
Renewables and decarbonisation have been identified as unique opportunities to boost jobs and economic growth in the town, with developing skills seen as a priority in helping locals get into jobs.
A total of £745,000 has been awarded by the council to 15 organisations across the borough to support skills and education while grants from the Lawn Tennis Association, Football Foundation & Safer Streets Fund, and Football Foundation has helped refurbish community facilities, according to the council.