How important will job creation pledges by poltical parties be in the forthcoming General Election? Business editor finds out...

UNEMPLOYMENT is nothing new to many residents of North Staffordshire.

Joblessness here has been higher than regional and national averages for decades, while incomes have lagged behind.

And, give or take a few ups and downs, the employment and salary gap between this area and other parts of the country is widening.

Latest official figures show the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) reached 9,056 in January, up from 8,506 the month before, reversing a five-month trend of falls.

The claimant count also rose in the rest of North Staffordshire and South Cheshire.

The main parties all promise job and wealth creation, and, in national terms, it is possible they could all honour that promise over the next few years, given that the country is gradually emerging from one of the worst recessions in history.

Starting from such a low benchmark, it is hard to imagine unemployment rising significantly further in the short- to medium-term.

But it is the narrowing of the wealth gap between North Staffordshire and the rest of the UK that is a key challenge for local government and local MPs.

The decline of high-volume pottery manufacture and the disappearance of steel production and coal mining are well documented, and the area is still feeling the aftershocks of these upheavals.

But the last pit closed in the 1990s, ceramic output has been dropping for decades and Shelton Bar shut more than 30 years ago – enough time for politicians, officers, quangos and the private sector to have reversed the losses of the traditional industries, some people argue. The problem for North Staffordshire, though, lies in the multiple and interlinked issues that affect its economic performance – issues such as low skill levels, poor health and a stuttering housing market as well as the decline of manufacturing and low incomes.

Prospective MPs will need to convince voters they have a firm grasp of the area's challenges as well as the powers of persuasion to lobby Ministers and persuade them to part with regeneration cash – at a time when public spending will be under severe pressure.

So in spite of criticisms that policy often plays second fiddle to personality, it could be that the personal characteristics and charisma of prospective MPs holds the key to boosting wealth and employment locally.

Bryan Carnes, chief executive of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "Whoever is elected on May 6, the local MPs will have to work together as a team to promote the business interests of North Staffordshire to government ministers and to ensure that we get more than our fair share of investment to facilitate new jobs.

"It will need people who understand how Parliament works and how to influence both ministers and senior civil servants.

"It needs someone who is on one side enthusiastic and on the other persuasive and with the strength of character to be persistent and dogged."

Mr Carnes believes tackling worklessness in North Staffordshire has to be the key priority for incoming MPs.

He said: "The single most important issue in North Staffordshire is the large number of working age people who don't have the opportunity to work.

"Getting more jobs into the area, whether they are public sector jobs or private sector jobs, is going to be critical."

Some major regeneration and job creation schemes, such as the University Quarter in Stoke-on-Trent, are pressing ahead with public sector funding.

Others, however, such as the redevelopment of the city centre and bus station, face delays until the private sector feels confident enough to re-start investment programmes.

Some experts believe there is a danger that North Staffordshire will not be a priority for central government because it has been Labour-controlled for so long.

Dr Mick Temple, politics lecturer at Staffordshire University, said: "The main problem for Stoke-on-Trent as far as influencing Westminster goes is that if you are solidly Labour and if you are going to vote Labour whatever then there is very little incentive to spend time and effort there.

"That goes for the Conservatives as well. They are not trying to persuade the people of Stoke-on-Trent to vote Tory, they are trying to persuade people in 120 marginal seats to vote for them.

"Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Stoke-on-Trent is the threat to Labour in Stoke-on-Trent Central.

"Maybe what we need in North Staffordshire is to have a few marginal seats to focus the minds of whichever party is in power."

All the election hopefuls will have to overcome the disillusion felt by many residents and business owners towards politics and politicians.

Karen Bowen is chairman of Townsend Residents' Association and represents people living in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in North Staffordshire.

She said: "I don't think any one of the parties is particularly trusted at the moment.

"I've spoken to people in both Townsend and Bentilee and they are saying voting is pointless because the parties are all much of a muchness. You're as well bitten as scalded seems to be the attitude."

Earlier this year Pauline Spendelow opened Pauline's Continental Deli, in City Road, Fenton, after being made redundant twice in six months.

She said: "I don't really follow politics because they just don't seem to help the average working man or woman or small businesses.

"Hopefully whoever gets in we'll get some tax cuts or business rate cuts.

"I know a lot of people, like me, who aren't really interested in voting because the politicians say one thing and when they get in they do another."