Public transport a problem for North Solihull's jobhunters

WAITING FOR CHANGE: A significant proportion of
people in North Solihull rely on public transport

POOR public transport links continue to cause problems for a significant number of young people looking for work, the Deputy Leader of Solihull Council has said.
Councillor Ian Courts was responding to questions about the steps that were being taken to tackle youth unemployment in the north of the borough – which remains at a higher level than the figure for the whole of Solihull.
The debate once again highlighted the difficulties that unreliable and infrequent bus services pose in those parts of the borough where car ownership is still comparatively low.
The last Census suggested that in excess of four in 10 households in Chelmsley Wood don’t have access to a vehicle.
“Something like 70 per cent of young people said ‘the problem I have about getting a job is that I don’t have good public transport’,” said Coun Courts.
“That is a key thing. It’s not just jobs, it’s getting people to jobs.”
The comments follow previous research which suggested that poor services put off many people in areas including Chelmsley Wood from considering work in Solihull town centre.
With previous changes to timetables having done little to address the underlying problem, the option of so-called “sprint” bus routes to cut journey times is currently under discussion. There are also hopes that the creation of a new combined authority, in which Solihull will collaborate with other West Midlands councils, may help to tackle the longstanding difficulties – with councillors assuming greater responsibility for transport matters.
Coun Courts said “significant progress” had been made in driving down youth unemployment, although eight per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds in North Solihull continue to claim Jobseekers’ Allowance or Universal Credit.
Green Party councillor Tim Hodgson said that the issue continued to be a “stubborn problem.”
“That’s not to take away from the progress that has been made but [unemployment] is something that really sticks out to me...it’s something that we have to continually keep focusing on.”