AN ACTION plan has been launched in a bid to turn around a district dubbed the 'sick note capital of Britain'.
New figures show more than four in 10 of the working population in Rochdale's Falinge ward are on incapacity benefit.
And earlier this year the same ward was identified as having the highest level of unemployment in the country, with more than three quarters on benefits.
Now town hall chiefs say they are taking action. Details of the plan, to be launched this month, have yet to emerge, but a key feature could see more council services rolled out to the estate.
Plans to introduce online education courses and work experience places with local employers are also in the pipeline.
Town hall chiefs say they are already well down the road to getting residents back to work.
They describe nine months of work since the ward's benefits binge was first identified.
Weekly advice sessions and a new police constable have been introduced and every home in the area has been visited by workers offering advice.
Potential
The M.E.N reported on Monday how new figures showed 42.9 per cent of potential workers in the ward were on the sick - the highest proportion in the country.
Coun Mohammad Sharif said: "We started with a major research exercise to establish what the problems and barriers were and since then we've been changing the services on offer to help people improve their quality of life - through health and employment support.
"There's now a weekly advice session in Falinge to help residents find jobs as well as to highlight training courses to help them gain skills for work. There's also a separate weekly drop-in session that offers help on things like volunteering, training and help for health and mental health conditions.
"More than 200 residents - as well as councillors, council staff and key stakeholders - have been involved over the last few months to help create services that meet the area's needs and address its problems.
"From that, an action plan is to be launched later this month to show the results of our work and to let people know what's going to happen next and how we'll keep residents informed and involved."
Rochdale's Labour parliamentary candidate, Simon Danzcuk, said drastic action was needed.
He added: "I hope the proposals will be based on real long-term support - they need to be creative and imaginative."
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Scrap benefits!! make people work!!
more people in work would mean more people paying taxes! therefore paying more money into the system! with less money coming out of the system in benefits that means they'll be more money to spend on services and investments in things like public transport!
infact with more tax coming in they might be able to cut tax properly!
poverty in this country is only seen by polititians looking to make themselves look good by tackling it!
but its the people who should work to get out of poverty!
if they arent prepared to do that then they are prepared to struggle with nothing!
Once upon a time a while before the industrial revolution people were in small communities toiling the land for survival minding their own business and had freedom to roam and do their own thing, I don't see anything wrong with that, that is supposed to be what god put us here for wasn't it? people should be free to choose whether they work or not otherwise it is oppression isn't it? forced against your will. My view is land should be set aside for people to return to living with a different value if they want to do that and leave all you cribbers to yourself’s. Personaly I am happy to work within in the system but some people need to cut some slack.
Jethro Bodine - NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS!
A lot of the time its the same money circulating to make employment without profit, inventing work for the sake of it. Its not always about profit some just don't want to see people relaxing, well I wouldn't even say it is that these days. The unemployed can spend my taxes as they wish and I am happy about that I am the one man band community based project for Health and relaxation. I wouldn't mind if it was big money they can just about afford greasy premm butties. Yes there is a point whereby people take liberties but that is another issue. 7 kids husband working and claiming, mother claiming. I am on about single people who are not defrauding and find it hard to cope with modern living at the best of times. I have seen disabled people who want to make a go of it, independent you only have to watch the para olympics and that tells you. but there are some disabled that fall into a different category and they are unnecessarily forced into work that is wrong, I could explain but I am not going to. Even the so called medical profession who are employed by the DWP take advantage of people some of them are a laugh a minute, the world is going crazy.
Jay B, I wouldn't go as far as you, but I definitely hate the idea of people taking advantage of the benfits system.
If you are out of work, fully able and claiming benefits, then you should be made to do some work for the community who is supporting you - that's fair right? I mean it's stupid you get an indefinite free ride!
If you choose to have a football team of your kids, fine, but don't expect someonelse to pay for it!!! You have to be responsible for your choices. I pay for my kids expenses, and even though we may want more kids, realistically, I can't afford it without decreasing the quality of life of my existing family.
It's right to expect the state to support you - but within reason. Getting paid for doing nothing, or supporting your large family - that's just plain irresponsible and taking liberties!!!
basically you should be responsible for your own wellbeing!
if you dont want to work that is fine! but dont expect handouts!
doing nothing means you get nothing! simple as that!
free money is too accessible for doing nowt!
i've worked hard to get where i am today! its cost me alot over the years!
while others have sponged off us indirectly and have done nothing!
its seen as easy money claiming benefit! so get rid and then theres no easy money other than working for it!
Maybe then it would tackle unemployment and even teenage pregnancies which are still rising!
one of the biggest forms of child abuse/neglect is having kids when you cannot financially afford to!
but all the government go on about is child poverty!
Benefits for being out of work....yeah.
Benefits for being too ill to work....yeah.
Benefits for having kids....?
Why do we PAY people to have children? If you can't feed them, don't breed them! Overpopulation causes enough problems as it is, why do we encourage them?
Here's an idea... the government should open a supermarket on the estate selling all the basic items. Don'y pay them cash. Pay them vouchers that can only be spent in the government shop. That might encourage the scroungers to get a job and earn cash.
Jethro Bodine "Once upon a time a while before the industrial revolution people were in small communities toiling the land for survival". Too many of those claiming benefits would be unlikely to survive such a lifestyle, as they are fundamentally lazy and are happy to feed off others hard toil, such a community could not carry the idle scroungers, and they would be ousted, which one hopes will happen today.
One of the biggest forms of child abuse is not looking after them. Benefits for having kids? If they don't have kids then there is no one for the future workhouse then you have to go immigration then the band wagon starts on about that, decisions decisions decisions.
You should be responsible for your own well being?. Of your own choosing which isn't allowed. The Government don't see over population they want he population to grow.