A small town in Cornwall has supposedly seen a boom in employment, but exactly how is a bit of a mystery.
According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics, St Blazey, which is on the outskirts of St Austell, has seen employment soar by 119.3 per cent between 2009 and 2017.
But more specific details weren't provided, Cornwall Live reported.
It means the town, which has a population of only around 5,000, saw employment grow 12 times faster in than the national average.
Local councillors seem baffled by the figures, with one admitting her “jaw dropped” when she saw them.
Walking through the town on a rainy September day, all Cornwall Live reporter Mike Smallcombe could find was a couple of garages, shops, takeaway and pubs, and a school and nursing home or two.
There’s also a very small industrial estate off St Blazey Road, as well as a bus depot and a Co-Op, but nothing obvious which could account for such figures.
If the statistics also include the nearby retail park at Par, or the Imerys factory, that could explain the boom to some degree.
St Blaise town councillor Jenny Moore suspects errors were made. “My jaw dropped when I read this,” she said.
“It must be a mistake. I really wish there had been this huge hike in employment.”
Her fellow town councillor, Roy Taylor, also suspects the data. “I can think of nothing that would produce a change of that order,” he said.
“Several businesses have started up and many are still trading but the only input of major significance was the establishment of the Eden Project, but that predates this statistic. I have to say, with regret, that I suspect the source data.”
The town council as a whole said it was unable to pinpoint a specific reason for the employment rise. But councillors did identify a few factors which may have contributed, including increased properties with those in employment, residents working but very few hours, and a new way of calculating employment figures.
