Number without homes is rising

An extra 750 families have become homeless and in vital need of accommodation during the past 12 months in Worcestershire because of the recession, according to the latest reports.

Councillors are now calling for an Economy Watch Task Group to be set up to co-ordinate action required to help families cope during the recession as well as encouraging the creation of more jobs.

Worcestershire County Council has decided to take a lead by paying invoices within ten days of receiving them to improve cash flow for traders.

Members also want local businesses to be encouraged to win contracts and tourism to be increased to bring in spending power.

They want to persuade local groups and organisations to seek outside funding for projects, including grants from Europe.

The move follows a report which claims further action is needed to improve workforce skills as economic conditions across the county have taken a "turn for the worse" amid warnings that this is likely to continue throughout the year.

Unemployment figures for February have shown that unemployment across the county stood at 12,389.

Jobseeker claimant numbers continued to rise but was still below the regional average.

The report said that the largest change has been in the unskilled jobs market.