The number of Bedford people claiming unemployment benefit has gone up by thousands

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits has gone up by thousands in Bedford compared to the start of the Covid-19 crisis, new figures reveal.

Anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says the Government must act quickly to stop a wave of unemployment across the UK, including by extending increased help for benefits claimants.

Office for National Statistics data shows 7,430 people were claiming out-of-work benefits in Bedford as of September 10, compared to just 3,525 in early March.

That’s 7 per cent of the working-age population, up from 3.3 per cent.

The figures include those aged 16 to 64 on Jobseeker’s Allowance and some Universal Credit claimants, who are unemployed and seeking work or employed but with low earnings.

Despite still being much higher than pre-crisis levels, the number getting help in Bedford was lower than at the start of August, when there were 7,480 claimants.

The ONS cautioned that changes to Universal Credit in response to the virus mean more people could get the benefits while still being employed, which could affect the figures.

Separate ONS data shows UK unemployment rose by 138,000 to 1.52million in the three months to August compared to the previous quarter – the highest since the start of 2017.

To be counted as unemployed, workers need to be actively looking for a new job.

Redundancies also rose by a record 114,000 quarter-on-quarter to 227,000.

Rebecca McDonald, senior economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said the figures were "a stark reminder that this crisis still has a long way to run".

She added: "This is not the time for half measures. The Government can still act quickly and decisively to prevent a wave of unemployment that will hit the poorest hardest."

Ms McDonald said the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit – introduced in April – should be made permanent.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently announced that the new Job Support Scheme would be expanded to businesses required to shut down due to coronavirus restrictions, with two-thirds of employees' wages covered by the Treasury.

But in areas where lockdowns do not apply - like Bedford, employers will have to pay for time worked by their employees, which must be at least 33 per cent of their usual hours. Business owners and the Government will share the cost of paying for some of the time not worked, giving employees 77 per cent of their normal wage.

Both plans will replace the furlough scheme from October 31.