Third of homes lack a full-time worker

12:49am Friday 16th May 2008

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Around 9,000 homes in Bradford West - one third of all working-age households - do not have any adults with full-time jobs, new research reveals.

Shadow Work and Pensions spokesman Chris Grayling, who released the figures, said they gave a "snapshot" of the challenge to get people off benefits and in to work.

He told the Telegraph & Argus: "There is an absence of parental ambition. Genera-tions pass pretty quickly in these areas now; you've got grandparents at 30, 45 year-old great-grandparents, and very quickly knowledge of good parenting and aspirations people have for their children are evaporating."

The figures do not include part-time workers or students. In Bradford South 5,000 households have no-one working full time (18 per cent), while there are 8,000 (28 per cent) in Bradford North, 8,000 (30 per cent) in Keighley and 7,000 (22 per cent) in Shipley.

But Labour MP Marsha Singh criticised the stigmatisation of those most in need of help. He said: "This is a slur on Bradford West and all Bradford people working part time and struggling to work hard and juggle families."

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