Countryside 'ignored' over employment

THE Tories accused Labour of "ignoring" the countryside after figures revealed rural unemployment has soared by nearly two thirds over the past two years – much more than in towns and cities.

By The Newsroom

Published 9th Apr 2010, 11:39 BST

Updated 9th Apr 2010, 11:39 BST

Official figures released by the Tories reveal that at the end of 2009, there were an estimated 299,000 people unemployed in rural areas, compared with 228,000 at the end of 2008 and 182,000 at the end of 2007.

The 64 per cent rise is higher than a 52 per cent increase in unemployment in urban areas.

The Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Nick Herbert, said: "Gordon Brown's recession has hit rural areas hard and the loss of jobs in our villages and market towns is having a devastating effect.

"Labour has ignored the countryside and their jobs tax will kill the recovery."

Labour Gordon Brown