Area rich in scenery but not inincome, says survey of Wolds

Simon Bristow

IT is one of the most scenic places in the East Riding, but people living in the Wolds are still paying a price for their rural lifestyles by earning less than their counterparts in the rest of the area.

According to a report by East Riding Council, the average household income in the two wards around Driffield is 30,655, a total of 2,019 lower than the East Riding average of 32,674.

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But the figures show encouragement for those in the Driffield and Rural, and East Wolds and coastal wards.

Although their earnings have consistently trailed behind the rest of the East Riding, they are closing the gap and earnings in the Wolds are on the rise while income elsewhere is falling.

The gap had been widening since 2005 and was at its greatest in 2007 – when the disparity was 3,598 a year – but the 2009 average income in the Wolds was up by 2.7 per cent on the previous year, while earnings fell in the rest of the East Riding by one per cent over the same period.

The biggest losers were in the Pocklington and Market Weighton areas, who saw income drop by 10 per cent between 2008 and 2009.

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The report said the Wolds economy is less reliant on Hull and York for its jobs market, and has therefore felt less of the economic “shock” of redundancies in the cities.

People in the Wolds have also proved to be more enterprising than their neighbours.

A total of 108 new business bank accounts have been set up in the East Wolds and Coastal ward since January, significantly higher than the East Riding average of 70.

The number of people claiming job seekers’ allowance in the Wolds is also less than in the rest of the East Riding, although there are fewer jobs.

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The economic downturn has seen a doubling of the number of claimants in the Wolds – up to three per cent in February this year from the 1.5 per cent in February 2008.

There were about six vacancies per 1,000 head of working population in the Wolds in February this year, compared to 13 in the rest of the East Riding.

The key employment sectors in the Driffield area are manufacturing (22.8 per cent), followed by retail (11 per cent) and construction (9.3 per cent).

In the East Riding the key employment sectors are manufacturing (14.1 per cent), education (13.2 per cent), and health (12.7 per cent).

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The report will be considered by the council’s Greater Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Committee next Thursday .

It concludes: “The Driffield and Wolds area has thus far weathered the economic recession quite well. Average household incomes have risen strongly since 2007 and numbers of JSA (job seekers’ allowance) claimants continue to be below the East Riding mean.

“The low proportion of the Driffield and Wolds population employed in the public sector also suggests a less turbulent few years ahead compared to other areas of the East Riding.

“However, knock-on effects on the retail and construction industries might have detrimental impacts on the Driffield and Wolds economy.”

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It adds: “Greater Driffield itself has some key challenges in integrating planed retail developments into its urban fabric without losing its character and appeal as a shopping destination for residents, and also in maximising its economic assets such as the Riverhead to their fullest potential.

“The high recent level of business srat-ups in the East Wolds and Coastal ward are interesting and worth monitoring to see if this continues for the rest of 2010 and beyond.”

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