Swansea's not working

Statistical studies usually depict Swansea as a middling sort of place where Goldilocks would have felt right at home but the latest Cities Outlook 2010 report has some very mixed economic messages for Wales’ second city and it's rudderless local authority.

The report is the second in a series of annual assessments that look at the economic prospects & performance of the 64 largest UK cities with particular emphasis on jobs.

It states that the recession has hit cities hard over the last year and put a decade of urban renaissance on hold. Unemployment has risen sharply, particularly among young people. The cities hit hardest have been those with lowest skills, and employment in exposed sectors, according to the authors.

Last year, the Centre for Cities highlighted Swansea’s vulnerability due to its high dependence on public sector employers such as the DVLA. The latest report shows that Swansea is languishing at 56th out of the 64 cities in terms of employment growth. This is despite an almost 20% increase in private sector jobs recorded during the period from 1998 to 2008.

Actual employment figures see the city at the last but three spot with 65.9 while Cardiff stands at 69.2 and the national average is 73.9. Bottom is Liverpool with a 62.5 employment rate.

Swansea Council’s own economic statistics show an almost 40% increase in unemployment over the last year, yet actual expenditure on economic development & regeneration - and which includes job creation strategies - has been successively cut during the last three years. The only growth has been the number of inter-agency forums navel-gazing discussing the need for 'economic equity' or 'employment gateways' and the accompanying secretariats & support staff that seem to be thriving.

Overall it is a very poor showing and one that is very different in factual content to the upbeat picture painted in the council propaganda rag which drops through letter boxes every two months at public expense.

It is also a situation that council leader Chris Holley and his cronies should be asked to explain – when they are not on little trips to Brussels and elsewhere. Although given the state of political opposition in the city and a local media that puts continuity of advertising revenue before serious scrutiny, we do not anticipate too much pressure in that direction.

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(PLR)