On the surface, the Birmingham suburb of Erdington seems like a typical small town, with a handful of pubs and a somewhat bustling centre complete with a Greggs and B&M.
But off the high street, several boarded-up and closing-down businesses offer a glimpse into the reason the West Midlands constituency is suddenly on the map.
Erdington has been named the youth joblessness capital of the UK, with 16.2 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds on unemployment benefits, according to labour market data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Shorts
This is far beyond the national average of 5.7 per cent, showing that young people in the northeast Birmingham suburb are nearly three times more likely to be claiming unemployment benefits such as universal credit or jobseekers allowance.
