On visiting the Jobcentre Plus on Exchange Road in Watford, Richard Harrington, the Town’s Prospective MP, discovered that the numbers claiming unemployment benefits in the local area have jumped from around 1,200 in July to 2,549 by the beginning of February. It has also been revealed that around 10% of Watford’s working population is dependent on benefits as their main source of income.

While doing a valiant and diligent job, the staff at the Jobcentre are being put under immense pressure not only by the increased footfall in the centre but also by the never-ending directives from Whitehall. As a result of the increased workload, staff must now work overtime with the centre being forced to open their doors 6 days a week to accommodate everyone. New Whitehall directives have forced some member of staff to undergo further training, taking them off the frontline service.

After his fact-finding visit with the Shadow Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, James Clappison MP, on Monday 9th February, Richard said, “The staff here at the Jobcentre are doing a thoroughly sterling job at keeping up with demand. But with so many people being made redundant, it’s tough for them to keep ahead of the pace. I think this is a time when both government and community groups can and should be working together to tackle the joint enemy of unemployment. That is why I will be setting up a Job Club next month to do what I can to help those who have been made redundant by this recession.”