North West Region
Partnerships
In order to provide the best level of customer service our External Relations Team works in partnership with a wide network of public, private, voluntary and community sector organisations at regional and sub-regional level.
Background
The North West region is comprised of the five counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. It is the only Government region with two major conurbations in close proximity. Four-fifths of the region is rural, although 60 percent of people live in the conurbations of Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
The North West population is projected to grow to 7.5 million in 2026 – 10% more than in 2006 – compared with the projected England increase of 16%.(ONS) The North West has the second highest population density in the UK with 490 people per square kilometre in 2007 compared to the England average of 395. Within the North West, the population density varies substantially, ranging from 24 people per sq km in Eden local authority in Cumbria, to 4,100 per sq km in Blackpool (ONS). Statistics show that, compared with England as a whole, the North West had a higher proportion of the population classing themselves as White British (89%) in 2007. The lowest proportions were in Manchester (69%) and Blackburn with Darwen Unitary Authority (75%) (ONS).
North West economy
The North West, out of all the regions and countries of the UK, makes the third largest contribution to the UK economy and makes the highest contribution to the UK’s manufacturing industry Gross Value Added (GVA). The region was responsible for 40% of the UK’s GVA from the manufacture of coke, refined petroleum products and nuclear fuel and 20% of UK manufacture of chemicals, chemical products and man-made fibres. It is also one of the main contributors to food products, beverages and tobacco and transport equipment manufacture (ONS). The region’s headline GVA was £120.7 billion in 2008 (ONS).
The North West is home to more than 230,000 companies. Around 3,000 of these are overseas-owned companies. Three-quarters of the nations Top 100 companies are based in the region. The region boasts the largest concentration of universities in Europe and is the chosen location for major ICT companies, including Brother, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Siemens, ICL/Fujitsu and Sun Micro Systems.
The four largest sectors in terms of employment are: service industries (both public and private sector), manufacturing and engineering (including automotive), chemicals and advanced materials and retail. The manufacturing sector employs over half a million people, contributing to over 25% Gross Domestic Product.
Employment and earnings
In April 2009, the median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees on adult rates who were resident in the North West was £460, lower than the UK median of £489. GVA per head, at £17,555, was the fourth lowest among the English regions, 14% below the UK figure. Gross domestic household income (GDHI) of North West residents was also the third lowest, at £13,380 per head. It ranged from £10,880 in Blackburn with Darwen to £16,150 in Cheshire County Council area (ONS).
The employment rate for the region’s working-age residents was fifth highest among English regions, at 70.9% in January to March 2010. The region experienced one of the smallest regional falls in the employment rate compared with a year earlier. The unemployment rate (for those aged 16 plus) rose from 7.9% in January to March 2009 to 8.7% in January to March 2010 (ONS).
The North West has the second smallest proportion of self-employed people in the UK, less than 8% of working-age people in 2008/09. The highest rate at local authority level in the North West is Cumbria around 11% – similar to the highest regional average (South West region). The lowest was Halton at just under 5% (ONS).
The proportion of children living in workless households in the second quarter of 2009 was higher in the North West (19 %) than the England average (17%) (ONS).
Education
In 2007/08, 47.4% pupils in the North West, achieved five or more grades A*- C at GCSE level or equivalent including English and mathematics in compared with 47.7% for the UK as a whole (ONS).
Benefits
In the North West there are approximately:
- 179,200 people receiving Jobseekers Allowance – 4% of the Working Age population (up to August 2010)
- 392,790 people receiving Employment Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit (to November 2009)
- 89,160 people receiving Income Support (to November 2009).
Jobcentre Plus North West structure
Jobcentre Plus in the North West has 5 districts covering the region co-terminus with Local Authority boundaries:
- Cheshire, Halton and Warrington,
- Cumbria and Lancashire,
- Greater Manchester Central,
- Greater Manchester East and West,
- Merseyside.
Within those Districts we have:
- 97 Jobcentre Plus offices – geographically covering the entire region from Crewe in Cheshire to Carlisle in Cumbria
- 12 benefit delivery centres
- 6 contact centres
- Approx 10,717 staff in the North West (August 2009)
- Customer Service Directorate – 6,057
- Benefit and Fraud Directorate – 2,739
- Contact Centre – 2,319
Total – 11,115
Jobcentre Plus External Relations teams cover a wide-ranging agenda including the development of partnerships that support Jobcentre Plus’ objectives and programmes that help our customers back into work.
Regional contact
Acting North West Regional External Relations Manager
Margaret Woods – 0161 873 1241, mobile 07971 174 227
District contacts
Cheshire, Halton and Warrington
Colin Billingsley – 01928 853 745
Cumbria and Lancashire
Vanessa Tate – 01254 343 678
Greater Manchester Central
Phil Royle – 0161 873 1062
Greater Manchester East and West
Peter Jenkinson – 0161 654 2034
