Nearly half the working age population of one district in Cardiff is claiming out-of-work benefits

Welsh Labour (or just Labour) have committed to eradicating poverty... by taking more money away from the poorest. I assume they're just going to say that if they're not allowed to claim benefits then they don't count as in poverty, which would greatly reduce the welfare costs... it would also reduce future pension bills and healthcare costs because they'd be... uh... dead. Generating opportunities in Wales is currently not possible. The Welsh Government has actually tried everything already and nothing is frankly working because the tools that the Welsh Senedd (Senedd Cymru?) have not yet been devolved to it. This is why Wales needs further devolution and or independence. It needs the authority to properly manage wealth and income in Wales, proper taxation powers. Because apparently dropping taxes for businesses just simply doesn't work, see businesses in areas that have zero-rated their business rates for years and have seen little to no improvement. It also needs a proper political reorganization, but I think that's on its way, since FPTP has consistently failed Wales and left Labour complacent. The power to increase our own minimum wage in Wales would greatly boost the economy and pull tax receipts back to Wales.

Poverty makes people unwell (physically and mentally) which in turn inevitably impacts their ability to work. Furthermore no british (or welsh) govt has properly addressed the generational poverty which exists in communities such as these. Indeed the sad truth of the matter is the 'left behinds' have been getting left further and further behind the rest of society since 1979.

It would be interesting to know if the figure for “out of work benefits “ includes everyone in receipt of Universal Credit as the right wing press often lump everyone in receipt of UC as unemployed even though 50% of people getting UC are in work, they could be carers, looking after young children etc and no just on the dole.

All pretty deprived areas.

Lloyd-Pierce spouting Politics of Envy is not the best career advice for the choices people need to make, if we are to ever achieve the independent nation of Cymru. Instead we need to follow Ireland into successful independence and accept that inward investors may find 'shiny new towers' to accommodate them more enticing than areas where police are petrol bombed for merely attempting to maintain law and order. Fortunately these once leafy suburbs are actually 5 to 6 miles from the city centre towers, rather than the 'couple of miles' stated. But as with the other escapes from reality, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Caia park is interesting, it's within a bike ride of one of the largest industrial estates in Europe. A number of companies have expanded there in the last 18 months, in excess of 500 new jobs created. I suppose it underlines how complex it is and how the numbers make it difficult to assess the root cause of the problem

People claiming dole should be made to carry out community work to qualify for payments with the potential of better pay for certain jobs ,this would encourage a work ethic and make them want to improve the lives of their families.

I'm genuinely baffled by Lloyd-Pierce's comments. Cardiff has the same sized economy as Sheffield when it should be aiming for the GDP of Auckland. Higher GDP means more jobs and better paying jobs. You don't get there by sneering at people investing in the city.

Nelson? That means pinch of salt in lorry quantities required.

I would be interested in seeing a greater breakdown of these figures. What is the proportion of fit, working age adults without caring duties who are unemployed? I note in this discussion that the emphasis is getting those claiming health related benefits into work. Surely the priority is to get fit adults into work first. Better incentives, better education and post school support. I'm afraid the whole culture needs changing.

I live in an affluent Rural area of Wales now but I used to live in Ely. I grew up there and for half their childhood, raised my kids there. Ely was and probably still is, one of the most deprived areas of Cardiff. There was a point when it was trying to drag its self out of deprevation. There was massive community cohesion as we tried to repair a poor reputation. It took years and then, one-by-one, in a devastatingly short period, every youthclub closed, the library was closed to be merged with the hub. At one time, the community paid to renovate the rec youth club & private donations were made to add a cracking adventure park. Youth leaders arrived one day to find it was locked up by the council. Not coincidentally, it was on the back of a football pitch they wanted to build homes on. As far as I'm aware they swore black-n-blue that space for a youth facility would remain. I'll bet my right arm that hasn't happened. I've been told that they closed another park and built a pay-to-play court of some kind. I suspect not coincidentally, because its situated on the back of another (largely private) new build site. Every time Ely tries to pick its self up by its bootstraps, its made very clear that whoever is in power at the time, doesn't want them to. If any of the listed areas are anything like Ely, they'll be in a constant state of fighting for their survival whilst it's seemingly, deliberately kept in a state of deprevation.

Not if they got voted out next year

The fly in your ointment is that leaving it with Westminster results in abuse and waste.

As an ex teacher in a deprived area, it's obvious that some parents are workshy. It's so easy to say, "I'm stressed, can't work, give me money" and "puff!" they get money! Lee Anderson was a staunch Labour MP, who then turned Conservative. He said that after fighting to help all these people, with benefits etc, 20 years later, their kids were turning up with the same stories. He realised they need help to break the cycle, not feed it!