A very rural recession

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/devon/7994740.stm

Version 0 of 1.

By Alex Bushill BBC News

Many rural job centres are closing

This is proving to be a very rural recession. Travel through Devon's soft rolling hills or Cornwall's jagged coastline and it seems that the South West of England has weathered the storm.

But a closer look - at the ruined, long-deserted tin mines that silhouette the landscape - will remind you that industries come and go. And at the moment they are going, and quickly.

The latest research from the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) suggests that Cornwall has seen some of the sharpest rises in unemployment anywhere in the country. Combined with some of the highest rates for home repossessions you can see why people here are worried.

People like "William" - who does not want to be identified because of the stigma of losing his job. He worked for many years in the financial sector before he became unemployed before Christmas. He has not found another one since.

Closing job centres

"I've been hit, I've lost my home, my job and I'm finding it very hard to find another one... I've sent off hundreds of job applications and I've lost my house.

"We have among the highest rates of repossession I believe here in Cornwall. I'm typical of what's happening."

What is worse is that according to CRC research, the number of rural job centres has dropped by more than half since 2000.

The amount of paperwork is mind boggling. You need a carrier bag when you go into the job centre Ken Peace <a class="" href="/1/hi/england/cornwall/7994428.stm"> 'Sharp rise' in rural joblessness </a>

In Cornwall, a third have closed in the last year alone. Can the centres that remain cope?

Sue Cassell from Job Centre Plus in St Austell says it is an unfounded concern.

She told the BBC: "It's not about so much the closure of job centres, it's about giving people access to our services.

"And we're doing all we can to make sure people have that access and many more of our services are available online."

But speak to some job seekers themselves, like Ken Peace, and they will tell you they appreciate the support on offer but only up to a point. He worked for 33 years equipping the nearby China clay pit near the town.

Is it enough?

"I lost my job on 23 March. I was devastated. The amount of paperwork is mind boggling. You need a carrier bag when you go into the job centre."

They have seen nearly double the number of job seekers come through their doors in the last year in St Austell. In response, they have streamed more services online and extended their working hours, helping them to place more people in work.

Is it enough? The CRC research suggests some parts of Cornwall are now seeing record numbers of people applying for any given job vacancy.

That is certainly the impression at local employers like Shelterbox. The Helston-based charity was one of the few UK based organisations to send aid to the L'Aquila earthquake victims in Italy.

Tom Henderson, its founder, told the BBC: "We would have expected 30 or 40 applications but when we advertised for three jobs recently, particularly the training manager job, we received 200 applications. That tells me there are a lot of people looking for jobs out there."

The question then the CRC report poses is: Is enough being done to limit the damage being done to our already fragile rural economy?