Sammy Wilson MP raises ‘red flag’ on east Antrim jobless tally during Covid-19

Mr Wilson, who has been at loggerheads with Health Minister Robin Swann at various stages of the coronavirus crisis (readhere), said latest unemployment statistics, which show that 2,765 people are jobless in the constituency, should be a red flag to decision makers.

He was commenting ahead of the Executive meeting on Tuesday to consider how to respond to a rise in infection rates. It is understood, health officials have suggested tighter coronavirus measures should last four to six weeks.

Mr Wilson said: “The latest figures show that 2,765 people are unemployed in East Antrim. This represents a massive jump of 1,180 since August 2019.

“Yet this does not reflect the many hundreds likely to lose their jobs when furlough is removed and does not factor in the consequences of further lockdown proposals which the Health Minister is currently promoting.

“These statistics represent a real health threat to hundreds of individuals who will be pushed into poverty and depression, affecting their mental and physical health.

“Recently, some business organisations seem to have woken up to the threat which draconian health measures present to their members and have been calling for a more balanced approach to the current health crisis.

“It is in the interests of everyone to ensure that, whatever the Executive agrees on the way forward, today’s red flag is not ignored.”

The DUP representative also pointed to the positive impact major events hosted by Mid and East Antrim Council had on the borough’s economy in recent months.

Mr Wilson said: “The Irish Open, The Northern Ireland Open and the Mid Antrim Half Marathon brought in over £7.1m of spend to the borough, including over 3,500 bed nights.

“Localised restrictions in Ballymena from 10 September 2020 saw footfall in the town reduce by 13% on the week before, which was higher than the 5.5% reduction recorded across Northern Ireland. Reductions were also recorded in Larne and Carrickfergus.

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