Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to visit Bluewater

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions yesterday accepted a public invitation from Gareth Johnson MP to visit Bluewater Shopping Centre in Dartford following their announcement of extension plans that will create 1500 new jobs at the retail park.

The matter was raised by Mr. Johnson during a Department for Work and Pensions Question Time in the House of Commons yesterday, where he commended the increase in jobs at Bluewater and extended an invite for the Secretary of State to ‘see first hand the job creation that this Government have helped to make possible’.

Mr. Duncan-Smith replied that he ‘shall definitely come’ and would ‘look forward’ to the visit. In his response to Mr. Johnson, he also added that ‘He gives us a great reminder...of the three-quarters improvement in employment, and of falling unemployment and benefit claimant numbers.” Dartford’s unemployment levels have fallen significantly in recent months as apprenticeship places and local jobs have increased, with Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) claimant numbers dropping by 200 between March and July of this year.

Following the announcement, Gareth commented that;

“ Bluewater is an employment and retail success story for Dartford, and the Secretary of State’s decision to visit- after a separate visit from the Prime Minister himself earlier this year- demonstrates the high regard in which the complex is held by the Government. Bluewater is vital to Dartford’s local economy, and 1500 new jobs is another positive step in reducing local unemployment, which has already fallen this year. I am delighted that the Minister is taking such an interest in Dartford’s success, and hope that the lessons of Bluewater can be applied to other towns in the future.”

Further details of his visit will be disseminated in due course when confirmed with the Department.

ENDS