Chelmsford has been praised for its high economic activity after recent figures released by the Department of Work & Pensions reveals that the city has one of the lowest rates of people claiming out-of-work benefits in Essex.

The number of people claiming these benefits, such as Job Seekers Allowance, has dropped from 1,210 to 1,190 - meaning that only 1.1 per cent of people living in Chelmsford are claiming out-of-work benefits.

Image: Chelmsford from the air.

40,000 houses in London are owned by by shell companies and many houses are empty. Houses are bought for speculation. Ordinary Londoners are being driven out of London. Low interest rates are transfering wealth from the poor to the rich. The London housing market is driven by 'dirty money' says this video.

Leaving the EU will see a fall in regulation and things will get worse. 

The Supreme Court has rule that Employment Tribunal fees are illegal. A case had been brought by the Trade Union Unison. The charges to bring a case to an Emplyment Tribunal ranged from £390 to £1,200. Prior to 2013 it was free. The Government will have to refund up to £32 million to the thousands of people charged for taking claims to tribunal since July 2013, when fees were introduced by Chris Grayling, the then Lord Chancellor.

Cases taken to Tribunal had fallen by 70%.

If you are in dispute with a company and the company will not address your grievance the best approach is to contact ACAS.  You should always use your organisation's appeals or grievance procedure, if they have one, to try to resolve the dispute. It is important to remember, however, that there are time limits for making a claim to the employment tribunal. Early Conciliation (EC) - an opportunity to avoid the cost and stress of a Tribunal and help you to explore options to resolve the matter.

Cases to Employment Tribunals are expected to increse substantially. 

To contact ACAS click here:

Mr Clegg of the ONS kindly responds. 

Mr Collyer,

Thanks for your e-mail. Your linked piece asks about the international definition of unemployment, which we use in our labour market statistics. These are specified by the International Labour Organisation. The guidelines are followed by most countries including all EU member states and the United States. This ensures that unemployment statistics are internationally comparable. These guidelines specify that jobless people who are not seeking work and/or not available to work should not be included in unemployment statistics.

http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_230304/lang--en/index.htm

 Richard Clegg

Head of Statistical Reporting & Labour Disputes Branch

Labour Market & Households Division

Office for National Statistics

HMRC have been busy.  The naming and shaming scheme was revised in October 2013 to make it simpler to name and shame employers that do not comply with minimum wage rules. The 197 cases named today (11 August 2016) were thoroughly investigated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Employers have a duty to be aware of the different legal rates for the National Minimum Wage. The current minimum wage rates are:

National Living Wage (25 years and over) - £7.20 per hour

• adult rate of National Minimum Wage (21 years and over) - £6.70 per hour
• 18 to 20-year olds - £5.30 per hour
• 16 to 17-year olds - £3.87 per hour
• apprentice rate - £3.30 per hour

The apprentice rate applies to apprentices aged 16 to 18 years and those aged 19 years and over who are in their first year. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage rate for their age.

The government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) scheme to name employers who break minimum wage law came into effect on 1 January 2011. The scheme is one of a range of tools at the government’s disposal to tackle this issue. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per worker. In the most serious cases employers can be prosecuted.

From 1 October 2013 the government revised the naming scheme to make it simpler to name and shame employers who break the law. Under this scheme the government will name all employers that have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less. All 197 cases named today (11 August 2016) failed to pay the National Minimum Wage and owed arrears of at least £100.

Employers have 28 days to appeal to HMRC against the NoU (this notice sets out the owed wages to be paid by the employer together with the penalty for not complying with minimum wage law). If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BEIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BEISoutlining whether they meet any of the exceptional criteria:

• naming by BEIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family
• there are national security risks associated with naming in this instance
• other factors which suggest that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer

If BEIS does not receive any representations or the representations received are unsuccessful, the employer will be named via a BEIS press release under this scheme.

For further advice on the National Minimum Wage, contact Acas

On 1 April 2016 the government’s new National Living Wage became law. Workers aged 25 years or over who are not in the first year of an apprenticeship are legally entitled to at least £7.20 per hour. Employers will be responsible for ensuring they are paying their staff correctly. The National Living Wage will be enforced in the same way as the current National Minimum Wage.

The 197 employers named today (11 August 2016) are:

1. San Lorenzo Ltd, Wimbledon, London, owed £99,541.98 to 30 workers
2. Premier Recruitment Ltd, Derby, owed £34,797.33 to 424 workers
3. Regis UK Ltd, Coventry, owed £25,712.19 to 604 workers
4. RD Resourcing Ltd, Eastleigh, Hampshire, owed £14,350.00 to 122 workers
5. TM West Plumbing Services Ltd, Leeds, owed £12,617.76 to 2 workers
6. Mr Ronald McConnachie, trading as Bay Newsagents, Weymss Bay, Renfrewshire, owed £12,527.97 to 3 workers
7. SLW Ltd, trading as Sycamore Care Centre, Sunderland, owed £10,212.05 to 98 workers
8. Kushi Care Ltd, Leicester, owed £9,726.23 to 46 workers
9. Busy Bee Nursery (Newport-on-Tay) Ltd, trading as Little Beehive Nursery, Fife, owed £9,065.14 to 7 workers
10. Omega Proteins Ltd, Halifax, owed £8,977.51 to 5 workers
11. Mr Moo’s Family Butchers Ltd, Billingham, Cleveland, owed £7,371.25 to 4 workers
12. Rice Chamberlains Estate Agents Ltd, Birmingham, owed £6,580.63 to 3 workers
13. Black Swan (Yorkshire) Ltd trading as The Black Swan Hotel, Hemsley, Yorkshire, owed £5,836.66 to 10 workers
14. Michael Holmes, trading as Fitzroy Builders, Newtownards, County Down, owed £5,371.76 to 2 workers
15. Voyage 1 Ltd, Lichfield, Staffordshire, owed £5,337.73 to 3 workers
16. Minee Monkeys Ltd (previously Mini Monkeys Ltd), Oldbury, owed £5,209.96 to 1 worker
17. Haven Care Ltd, Ilford, owed £4,695.89 to 101 workers
18. Mr Ray Macfarlane, trading as Rays Auto Custom Services, Blackburn, owed £4,396.74 to 2 workers
19. Catering Academy Ltd, Tamworth, Staffordshire, owed £4,220.48 to 1 worker
20. A & G Precision & Sons Ltd, Poulton Le Fylde, Lancashire, owed £3,723.24 to 1 worker
21. Azafran Ltd trading as Bluebird Care (Coleraine), Coleraine, owed £3,707.92 to 67 workers
22. Woods Hair Ltd, trading as Chapters Hair Design, Witney, Oxfordshire, owed £3,676.87 to 1 worker
23. Mr Keith Smith & Mrs Lynda Smith, trading as KLS Electrical Contracting, Goole, East Yorkshire, owed £3,619.70 to 1 worker
24. SPRIM V.P.I Limited, London, SW1V, owed £3,543.44 to 1 worker
25. Mr Prakas Kitto, trading as Kash’s Off Licence, Spennymoor, County Durham, owed £3,445.88 to 1 worker
26. Topstaff Employment Ltd, Glasgow, owed £3,355.25 to 20 workers
27. Playdays Daycare Nursery Ltd, Bolton, owed £3,277.04 to 1 worker
28. Mr Ben Wilkins and Mr Harry Williamson, trading as BHW Property Solutions, Bedford, owed £2,933.48 to 1 worker
29. Castle Carpets Ltd, Shrewsbury, owed £2,898.12 to 1 worker
30. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club Limited, Brighton, owed £2,861.64 to 1 worker
31. KAB Development & Construction Ltd, Sandbach, Cheshire, owed £2,815.51 to 1 worker
32. Mr Nicholas & Mrs Christina Winstone-Partridge, trading as Wholesale Autoparts, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, owed £2,691.73 to 1 worker
33. Pine View Care Homes Ltd, trading as Royal Manor Nursing Home, Derby, owed £2,620.45 to 1 worker
34. Silverdale Care Homes Ltd, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, owed £2,590.99 to 1 worker
35. Mrs Margaret Pink, trading as Gems Childcare, Croydon, owed £2,558.80 to 4 workers
36. UK Education Providers Ltd, Romford, owed £2,494.83 to 2 workers
37. Ro-Ro Restaurants Ltd, trading as Oldfields Noted Eating House, Durham, owed £2,463.98 to 3 workers
38. Betterstaff Industrial & Commercial Recruitment Limited, Sidcup, Kent, owed £2,441.92 to 23 workers
39. Bambinos Ltd, Plymouth, owed £2,381.97 to 58 workers
40. Prestwood Motors Ltd, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, owed £2,375.00 to 1 worker
41. G C Motors Ltd, Harrogate, owed £2,328.83 to 2 workers
42. Flavourfresh Salads Ltd, Southport, Merseyside, owed £2,154.94 to 3 workers
43. Mr Chi Kin Cheng, trading as The Modern Chinese Takeaway, Derby, owed £2,124.58 to 1 worker
44. Macdonalds Hotels & Resorts Ltd, Bathgate, West Lothian, owed £2,123.10 to 6 workers
45. Paper Innovation Ltd, Preston, owed £2,024.82 to 4 workers
46. Hairstopper Limited, Ayr, owed £2,021.07 to 2 workers
47. Ms Susanna Ross, trading as Susanna’s Hair & Beauty, Ayr, owed £2,013.22 to 1 worker
48. Messrs Robert Goodwin & Paul Coxhead, trading as Instant Services (Domestic Appliances), Rochester, Kent, owed £1,978.68 to 1 worker
49. K Construction (Scotland) Ltd, Edinburgh, owed £1,916.61 to 2 workers
50. The Buck Project Ltd, Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, owed £1,915.15 to 1 worker
51. Philips Hair Salons Ltd, Wakefield, owed £1,904.00 to 4 workers
52. The Hobbs Hairdressing Partnership Ltd, trading as Hobbs Hairdressing, Bristol, owed £1,883.90 to 2 workers
53. Mr Snippers Ltd, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, owed £1,867.54 to 1 worker
54. Newlay Civil Engineering Ltd, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, owed £1,860.60 to 1 worker
55. Mr Ronald Archibald Mutton and Mrs Sandra Anne Mutton, trading as A1 Plumbing & Heating, Oxford, owed £1,834.13 to 1 worker
56. Cheasty Ltd, trading as Papa Johns, Edinburgh, EH8, owed £1,811.33 to 19 workers
57. Mr Darren Harding & Mrs Amy Harding, trading as The Wheatsheaf, Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire, owed £1,792.69 to 2 workers
58. Mrs Elizabeth Richardson, trading as Poppies, Durham, owed £1,772.13 to 23 workers
59. Mrs Sheena Lyttel, trading as Pamela Clair, Derby, owed, £1,699.01 to 1 worker
60. AA Dispatch (UK) Ltd, Thetford, Norfolk, owed £1,669.41 to 1 worker
61. Mrs Jeanette Mullen, trading as Fleetcare, Bristol, owed £1,665.38 to 1 worker
62. Mr Carl Smith, trading as Nottingham & District Gun Club, Oxton, Nottinghamshire, owed £1,635.03 to 2 workers
63. Gwynedd Electrical Contractors Ltd, Anglesey, owed £1,625.92 to 1 worker
64. McLeod Hotels Ltd, trading as Beechwood Close Hotel, York, owed £1,526.20 to 13 workers
65. Small Talk Nurseries Ltd, Birmingham, owed £1,499.30 to 10 workers
66. Preston Flowers Limited, Preston, owed £1,493.40 to 1 worker
67. A1 Independent British 4x4 Specialists Ltd, Bury, Lancashire, owed £1,422.44 to 1 worker
68. High Peak Hospicecare, Chapel en le Frith, Derbyshire, owed £1,363.13 to 1 worker
69. Avanti Express Ltd, Hyde, Greater Manchester, owed £1,300.16 to 1 worker
70. Mr Mark Leicester & Mrs Elizabeth Leicester, trading as Yorkshire Chimney Supplies, Harrogate, owed £1,264.76 to 1 worker
71. Mr Thomas Till and Mrs Pauline Till, trading as Misters of Stafford, owed £1,254.76 to 1 worker
72. Huddlebuy Ltd, London, EC4V, owed £1,236.88 to 1 worker
73. Mitie Property Services (UK) Ltd, Bristol, owed £1,226.37 to 1 worker
74. Airspeed Tyres & Exhaust Ltd, Ipswich, owed £1,198.75 to 1 worker
75. The Dinner Bell Ltd, trading as The Chequers, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, owed £1,190.68 to 1 workers
76. Mobile Buddy Ltd, Swansea, owed £1,162.77 to 1 worker
77. Mrs Rebecca Hodges & Mr Rob Hodges, trading as Flame Hair Studios, Towcester, Northamptonshire, owed £1,146.46 to 2 workers
78. Miss Olivia Smith, trading as The Cutting Rooms, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, owed £1,132.65 to 1 worker
79. Crown Care II LLP, North Shields, owed £1,129.74 to 60 workers
80. Mr Richard Harris and Mrs Myrtle Harris, trading as Honiton Garage, Honiton, Devon, owed £1,121.55 to 1 worker
81. Universal Care Services (UK) Ltd, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, owed £1,085.93 to 7 workers
82. Sunnybank Day Nursery Ltd, Leeds, owed £1,083.45 to 2 workers
83. Formby Hall Golf Club Ltd, trading as Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa, Formby, Merseyside, owed £1,047.00 to 1 worker
84. Sine Hair & Beauty Salon Ltd, Glasgow, owed £1,027.65 to 1 worker
85. JR’s Hairdressing Ltd, Glasgow, owed £1,000.16 to 2 workers
86. Ms Lorna Bainbridge, trading as Passion 4 Hair and Beauty, Stockton-on-Tees, owed £997.45 to 2 workers
87. Three Points Limited, Bristol, owed £972.64 to 1 worker
88. Mrs Rosemary Wight, trading as AJ’S Hair & Beauty Salon, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, owed £972.41 to 1 worker
89. Ryce Limited, Fife, owed £935.96 to 1 worker
90. Sanctuary Home Care Ltd, Worcester, owed £918.65 to 1 worker
91. Interserve FS (UK) Ltd, Dudley, owed £894.03 to 4 workers
92. Forest Gate (Corby) Ltd, Corby, Northamptonshire, owed £878.57 to 4 workers
93. William Priestley Salon Ltd, Halifax, owed £830.69 to 1 worker
94. SGUK Limited, Wolverhampton, owed £809.66 to 1 worker
95. Mr Steven Jenkins, trading as Rock Salt Café & Brasserie, Plymouth, owed £779.00 to 2 workers
96. Edward Marshall LLP, Chelmsford, Essex, owed £776.50 to 1 worker
97. Lifestyle (Abbey Care) Ltd, Richmond, North Yorkshire, owed £775.12 to 1 worker
98. Automaster (South Wales) Ltd, Pontyclun, Mid Glamorgan, owed £770.56 to 1 worker
99. Thomson ID Ltd, trading as Austen Thomson Hair, Edinburgh, owed £759.32 to 1 worker
100. Mead Medical Services Ltd, trading as Lydiafield Care Home, Annan, owed £741.67 to 13 workers
101. Ms Sue Newton, trading as Play 2 Learn Day Nursery, Northampton, owed £735.48 to 1 worker
102. Brick Peers Ltd, Wells, Somerset, owed £735.25 to 1 worker
103. McKinlays Lettings Crewkerne Ltd, Crewkerne, Somerset, owed £713.18 to 1 worker
104. Temple Doors Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, owed £674.98 to 1 worker
105. Mr Harpinder Singh Dhamu, trading as Holloway Dental Practice, London, N7, owed £671.37 to 1 worker
106. Mr David Curran and Mrs Deborah Curran, trading as Gazeley Stud, Newmarket, Suffolk, owed £646.20 to 1 worker
107. Devon Dogs Ltd, Okehampton, Devon, owed £638.49 to 1 worker
108. Legal Claimline Ltd, Manchester, owed £612.49 to 1 worker
109. Fisher & Donaldson (St Andrews), Cupar, Fife, owed £574.32 to 6 workers
110. U K P Leisure Club, Sittingbourne, Kent, owed £566.62 to 1 worker
111. Olyness Ltd, trading as The New Westmere Day Nursery, Blackpool, owed £561.96 to 1 worker
112. Ms Alison Vallance, trading as Vallance Hair & Beauty, Edinburgh, owed £547.20 to 1 worker
113. Murdock Ltd, London, WC2H, owed £546.00 to 1 worker
114. Krystal Dry Cleaners Ltd, London, SW16, owed £544.46 to 1 worker
115. Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, owed £517.88 to 1 worker
116. Mr Alex Okolidoh & Mrs Victoria Okolidoh, trading as Elite Property Solutions, Norwich, owed £511.20 to 1 worker
117. Crown Care IV Ltd, North Shields, owed £505.86 to 25 workers
118. 247 Home Rescue Ltd (Named changed to 123 SRS Limited), Accrington, Lancashire, owed £493.05 to 1 worker
119. Collective Apparel Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, owed £487.34 to 1 worker
120. Mr Robert Louis Craig, trading as Craigs Courier Services, Falkirk, owed £484.90 to 1 worker
121. Shiners Property Services Ltd, London, E14, owed £481.36 to 1 worker
122. Earn Extra 139 Ltd, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, owed £453.48 to 1 worker
123. Morleigh Ltd, trading as Tregertha Court Residential Care Home, Looe, Cornwall, owed £447.98 to 1 worker
124. Ebina Ltd, trading as Ebi Sushi, Derby, owed £447.97 to 4 workers
125. Dove’s Nest Ltd, Manchester, owed £439.37 to 19 workers
126. Zeus Enterprise Ltd, trading as Yieldify, London, EC3R, owed £421.93 to 1 worker
127. Ms Tina Hamlin, trading as Mad Hatters, Orpington, Kent, owed £418.73 to 3 workers
128. Elite Complete Property Services Ltd, Plymouth, owed £414.85 to 1 worker
129. M. J. Electrical. Services. Ltd., Swansea, owed £410.00 to 1 worker
130. Toni Saade Ltd, trading as Toni Saade Hair Salon, Newmarket, Suffolk, owe £404.64 to 1 worker
131. Salim Uddin Khan, trading as Top Tread Tyres, Exhaust & MOT Centre, High Wycombe, owed £402.25 to 1 worker
132. Music Junkie Ltd, Leicester, owed £396.85 to 1 worker
133. Mr Kevin Boyd, trading as Billion Hair, Wigan, owed £396.07 to 1 worker
134. Scope, London, N7, owed £394.28 to 1 worker
135. Legends (Redditch) Ltd, trading as Legends Hair & Beauty Salon, Worcester owed £393.14 to 3 workers
136. Suzy Mcs Corporate Catering Ltd, Coventry, owed £392.18 to 1 worker
137. Simply Auto Enrolment Solutions Ltd, Bury, Lancashire, owed £390.00 to 1 worker
138. Care and Support Shop Ltd, London, E13, owed £389.74 to 28 workers
139. Contact Industrial Recruitment Ltd, Urmston, Manchester, owed £378.77 to 64 workers
140. Mr Stephen Wallace, trading as The Lunatic Fringe, Canterbury, owed £377.48 to 1 worker
141. Pasture Wood Fisheries Ltd, Barton-on-Humber, Lincolnshire, owed £373.95 to 3 workers
142. Hollywood Plant Services Ltd, Walsall, owed £372.41 to 1 worker
143. Terracotta Foods Ltd, trading as Freddy’s Chicken & Pizza, Northampton, owed £370.80 to 1 worker
144. Your Electrical Supplies Services & Solutions (A) Ltd, Normanton, West Yorkshire, owed £369.88 to 2 workers
145. SLRS Ltd, trading as Stealth Security, Southampton, owed £366.26 to 1 worker
146. Industrial Medical Agency Ltd, Bradford, owed £365.37 to 1 worker
147. Le Nantais Bistro (Hove) Ltd, Brighton, owed £362.44 to 1 worker
148. Trident Design and Build Ltd, Warwick, owed £360.35 to 2 workers
149. Jackson Dairies Ltd, Stockport, owed £355.90 to 3 workers
150. Stephen Johnstone & Son Funeral Directors, Chester, owed £347.05 to 1 worker
151. Motorbody Accident Repair Centre Ltd, Ambleside, Cumbria, owed £338.27 to 1 worker
152. Beezy Beez Day Nursery Ltd, Leicester, owed £334.26 to 1 worker
153. Manchester Super Store (Rusholme) Ltd, Manchester, owed £315.50 to 1 worker
154. Lakhani Holdings Ltd, trading as Munro Pharmacy, London, E13, owed £312.00 to 1 worker
155. The Personnel People Ltd, Norwich, owed £298.58 to 15 workers
156. Smart Cool Ltd, Hull, owed £294.71 to 1 worker
157. Kent Coach Travel Ltd, Sheerness, owed £294.51 to 1 worker
158. Arcadia Care Ltd, Birmingham, owed, £286.00 to 1 worker
159. B2B Engage Ltd, Bracknell, owed £282.00 to 1 worker
160. Sollertia Limited, Newton Le Willows, Merseyside, owed £271.95 to 1 worker
161. Mrs Ruth Elizabeth Goff & Mrs Enid Elizabeth Butt, trading as Cotswold Equine Training, Burford, Oxfordshire, owed £268.72 to 1 worker
162. Benkaz Ltd, Shotts, Lanarkshire, owed £266.71 to 1 worker
163. Kinza Beauty Lounge Ltd, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, owed £258.30 to 1 worker
164. Care 4 U Services (Lincs) Ltd, Lincoln, owed £257.27 to 1 worker
165. Mr Anthony Shields, trading as 2CV City, Bradford, owed £252.46 to 1 worker
166. Purple Pig Middlesbrough Ltd, Middlesbrough, owed £226.00 to 1 worker
167. Fury Murry’s (Paisley) Ltd, Paisley, owed £216.14 to 1 worker
168. Greene King Retail Services Ltd, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, owed £211.89 to 1 worker
169. Consummate Care UK Ltd, Coventry, owed £201.36 to 1 worker
170. Professional Print Finishing Services Limited, London, N18, owed £198.25 to 1 worker
171. Supreme (UK) Ltd, Woking, owed £197.41 to 1 worker
172. Dimples Riverside Day Nursery Ltd, Middlesbrough, owed £195.23 to 5 workers
173. Poundstretcher Ltd, Huddersfield, owed £182.94 to 2 workers
174. Wood & Co (Leicester) Ltd, Leicester, owed £179.17 to 1 worker
175. Pomodoro 1 Ltd, Bewdley, Worcestershire, owed £177.64 to 2 workers
176. Mr Isni Balija, trading as Letchworth Hand Car Wash, Letchworth Garden City, owed £173.33 to 1 worker
177. Euro Dental Laboratory Services Ltd, Chorley, owed £173.00 to 1 worker
178. Plum Buffets Ltd, Coventry, owed £156.00 to 1 worker
179. Safe Night Security Ltd, Sunderland, owed £156.00 to 1 worker
180. Miss Alison Margaret Smith, trading as AMS Hair & Beauty, Edinburgh, owed £150.00 to 2 workers
181. Food n Tipple Ltd, Bolton, owed £148.28 to 1 worker
182. Biton System Consultants Ltd, Chelmsford, Essex, owed £145.00 to 1 worker
183. Shepherdess Café Ltd, London, EC14, owed £141.70 to 1 worker
184. Beau Visage Beauty Ltd, Manchester, owed £141.00 to 1 worker
185. Assist Homecare (Scotland) Ltd, Stevenston, Ayrshire, owed £134.21 to 1 worker
186. TS Developments Ltd, trading as Imperial Workforce, Darlington, owed £130.30 to 12 workers
187. Lifeline Homecare Ltd, Frome, Somerset, owed £130.02 to 3 workers
188. IPizza UK Ltd, trading as IPizza, London, W3, owed £130.00 to 1 worker
189. Nu U 2 Ltd, Sittingbourne, Kent, owed £125.57 to 1 worker
190. Quest Cleaning Services Ltd, Staverton, Wiltshire, owed £125.13 to 1 worker
191. My Home Choice (Essex) Ltd, trading as Bluebird Care Colchester, Colchester, owed £120.53 to 1 worker
192. L M Bubble Tea Ltd, trading as Mooboo, Liverpool, owed £117.19 to 1 worker
193. Newline Care Home Ltd, Bradford, owed £116.31 to 1 worker
194. Peppermint UK Foods Ltd, trading as Subway, Brentwood, owed £107.20 to 1 worker
195. Miss Despina Glykeriou and Mrs Jane Waldrum, trading as P W W Ice Cream Supplies, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, owed £106.72 to 1 worker
196. Micro Fitness Ltd, Cumbernauld, Glasgow, owed £104.93 to 1 worker
197. Silenster Building Services Ltd, Thetford, Norfolk, owed £103.48 to 1 worker

There is a lot of talk going on about the Unemployment Statistics. 

Real unemployment is being claimed as more than four times the official figures. Around 21.5% of all working-age people (defined as ages 16 to 64) are without jobs, or 8.83 million people, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Tories are very quiet about how well it is going. That is rather odd? We are told we are at full employment, yet anyone who tries to get a job soon learns how hard it is?

The narrative just does not fit?

'Are, you might say; these statistics are compiled to international standards'. Could it be that everyone else in the European Union, and governments internationally all have the same agenda...that is, to hide from their citizens the true state of employment in the developed world? 

The Tories want people to think the unemployed are workshy so they can cut welfare, even more than the third they are doing already. 

The Rt Hon Damian Green MP the Work & Pensions Minister has certainly kept a low profile compared to Iain Duncan Smith. 

We think that the ONS could add some clarity to this issue? Who sets these 'international standards' and why are the public being fed a totally unrealistic picture of the job market? Or are they? 

As we say here at the ABC, ‘90% of people are not sure if they believe in statistics, the other 10% don’t know’ (boom, boom).  

What do you think about the Unemployment statistics? 

Perhaps Mr Clegg can shed more light on the situation? 

Image: Richard Clegg, ONS statistician 

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The proportion of economically active people aged 16 and over who are out of work and seeking work is known as the unemployment rate. As shown at Figure 11 (which shows unemployment rates for people, men and women), the lowest unemployment rate for people recorded since comparable records began in 1971 was 3.4% in late 1973 to early 1974 and the highest rate, 11.9%, was recorded in 1984 during the downturn of the early 1980s. The unemployment rate for people for the latest time period, April to June 2017, at 4.4%, was the lowest since 1975.

For April to June 2017:

• the unemployment rate for people was 4.4%; it has not been lower since April to June 1975
• the unemployment rate for men was 4.6%; it has not been lower since August to October 1975
• the unemployment rate for women was 4.2%; the joint lowest since comparable records began in 1971
• For April to June 2017, there were:
• 1.48 million unemployed people, 57,000 fewer than for January to March 2017 and 157,000 fewer than for a year earlier
• 818,000 unemployed men, 34,000 fewer than for January to March 2017 and 74,000 fewer than for a year earlier
• 666,000 unemployed women, 23,000 fewer than for January to March 2017 and 83,000 fewer than for a year earlier
• Looking at unemployment by how long people have been out of work and seeking work, for April to June 2017, there were:
• 876,000 people who had been unemployed for up to 6 months, 81,000 fewer than for a year earlier
• 234,000 people who had been unemployed for between 6 and 12 months, little changed compared with a year earlier
• 374,000 people who had been unemployed for over 12 months, 74,000 fewer than for a year earlier

Plaid Cymru has warned that up to 3,700 families in Wales have lost out on support after the Labour Welsh Government cut the Family Fund budget.

The fund, which distributes grants to families with ill and disabled children, helped 1,686 families last year (2016/17), down from 5,429 families helped in 2015/16.

The fund operates across the UK, but is funded by each government. Only in Wales has there been cuts to the budget provided to the fund.

In a Plaid Cymru debate in March 2017, Labour AMs voted against a Plaid Cymru motion to reverse the cuts. At the time, the Deputy Minister for Social Services responded to the debate by saying “It’s neither accurate nor fair to suggest that there has been a cut in support for disabled families”. However, figures show that the support has been cut.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Rhun ap Iorwerth said:

“The Family Fund offers financial support to families with ill and disabled children to buy equipment that they need but because of Labour’s decision to cut the fund, 3,700 fewer of these families have been helped this year compared to last. This is the heartbreaking effect of Labour’s cuts.

“What makes it worse is Labour’s refusal to accept that there has been a cut in support. The entire sector had warned that changes to the way the Family Fund was to be financed would mean thousands of the poorest families with disabled children would lose out. Yet Labour ignored these warnings and not only went ahead with the cuts, but refused to acknowledge making the mistake when Plaid Cymru tried to make them see sense. 

“I want to see these cuts reversed. I refuse to believe that the government would deliberately want to make over 3,700 poor families with disabled children poorer. This has always been about the unintended consequences of changes to funding mechanisms. So now we know for sure the extent to which the changes have harmed these families, I cannot see why the cuts can’t be reversed.

“I hope that the government will see sense.”

Parents across Scotland have been warned that child benefit and child tax credits will stop if they don't tell the taxman of their child's educational status by the end of this month.

HM Revenue and Customs says that parents must let them know by August 31 if any of their children aged 16 or above are continuing in full-time education or are undertaking an apprenticeship.

Alternatively, if a young person leaves education or training - for example to start full-time work, or because their course has ended - claimants must report this change straight away to prevent the build-up of overpayments, which they will have to pay back.

Angela MacDonald, Director General of Customer Services, said: “Congratulations to students getting their results. Once parents or guardians know what their child has decided to do it’s really important they let us know as soon as possible, so they continue to get the right benefits and credits."

Parents can use the Personal Tax Account (PTA) service online to update both their Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit information online in a few minutes. The PTA service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To access your PTA for the first time on a PC, tablet or smartphone, you'll need your national insurance number, a recent payslip or P60, and a phone to receive a security access code.

To get started go to gov.uk/personal-tax-account and click ‘start now’.

Public sector workers have been complaining about low pay. The take-home pay of senior civil servants had fallen by 23% in real terms since 2010. The Senior Salaries Review Body that recommends pay increases for senior Whitehall roles has warned that the continuing 1% pay cap was increasing recruitment and retention problems.

One DWP official has commented:

I hope this does not reflect on lower grade civil servants who work on the front line, we are struggling to continue working on the salaries we are on and are paid a lower salary than many who work for the private sector. Over the last few years so many of my colleague have taken VES packages or early retirement or just left the DWP to work in the private sector for better pay, in my years working for the department I have never know so many colleagues desperate to get out of the department and find another job. It's getting really tuff and staff are demoralised and tired and because of staff cuts they are doing more for less. It's really sad that the ministers don’t appreciate or comprehend that without our commitment to the job and care and compassion for the public the new welfare reform implementation would not come to fruition.