Election 2010: Jobs are key issue in battle for Birmingham Hodge Hill

Apr 26 2010 By Edward Chadwick

Unemployment and deprivation could see Labour struggling to cling on to power in Hodge Hill, writes Edward Chadwick.

The Fox and Goose shopping centre in the middle of Hodge Hill is a microcosm of the constituency as a whole – a victim of the recession struggling forward in the hope of a brighter future.

Shops have closed, others soldier on in the face of competition from supermarket giant Tesco’s new store, and the local pub has slashed its meals to 99p as the economy counts the cost of the decline in manufacturing.

Last year’s collapse of Washwood Heath van maker LDV still resonates, especially because the loss of 850 jobs left the area with the third highest level of unemployment in the country.

All of the candidates agree that the single issue of jobs is likely to dominate voters’ minds at the ballot box next month.

But while Labour’s Liam Byrne reckons the people he has door-stepped during his fevered campaign still have faith in his party to make the north Birmingham suburb prosper again, his rivals say voters still blame the Government for failing to protect the city’s industry.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Mr Byrne said: “The big issue is jobs by a mile. What I am finding is that people have got more confidence now that they are going to stay in their jobs.

“They are already thinking about the jobs of the future that things like high speed rail will create.

“A lot of people who work at Jaguar live in Hodge Hill and they have recently had their best sales figures for years.

“A degree of health is returning to the manufacturing sector and we are going to make sure that people can take advantages of that by developing things like technical apprenticeships.”

The figures say that the man with the best chance of causing an upset in a traditional Labour stronghold is the Liberal Democrat candidate Tariq Khan.

Mr Byrne won the 2004 by-election with a majority of just 460 before strengthening his grip the following year.

And with his local roots and 15 years’ experience of representing Washwood Heath on the city council Coun Khan senses an upset.

“I like to be the underdog and we have seen upsets happen at elections,” he said. “Liam Byrne promised to cut unemployment in Hodge Hill when he was elected and that hasn’t happened, even though he has a powerful position in the cabinet.

“LDV has gone down the pan and you have to blame the Labour government for that. I’ve proved on the council what I can achieve by joining with and fighting for local people. I want to see improvements in education and better facilities for young people in the area.”

Both Coun Khan and Mr Byrne said they were pleased with progress made by the police in tackling anti-social behaviour in areas like Shard End where youths have been issued with banning orders to keep a lid on nuisance.