Julie Elliott MP Standing up for Sunderland Central
Shocking new figures show the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Sunderland Central has jumped by almost a thousand in the last year.
In April this year 3,280 people across the constituency claimed benefits – up by several dozen from March. Among these claimants were 625 aged 18-24 – a rise of 145 from April 2018.
The Sunderland Central claimant rate of 6.8% is almost double the UK rate of 3.8%. This demonstrates the damaging effect of Tory austerity. People need jobs and job security.
I am actively campaigning for the Government to fix the flawed Universal Credit system, as it has left so many people in Sunderland struggling with hardship.