Some statistics about Ynys Môn

After reading the Daily Post, once again, saying that Ynys Môn had the lowest GDP of UK (doh!!!), I thought on a rainy afternoon I'd look up some statistics from  StatsWales.

In 2001 the percentage of the population in employment (16-65) on Ynys Môn was 66.3% as compared to the welsh average of 67.1%, whereas in 2010 that had risen to 69.5% compared to the welsh average of 66.2%.

In May 2009 the monthly claimant count was 2,009 whereas in May 2012 the provisional figures are 1,786.

Now the bit the Daily Post gets wrong. In 1997 the Sub-regional Gross Value Added (GVA) where UK=100, by Welsh NUTS3 area for Ynys Môn was 49.6% and in 2009 57.2%

OK it still means the island is in the bottom 5 in the UK but it is still ahead of Gwent Valleys (53.3%) and Wirral (53.7%)

In 1997 the Gross disposable household income where UK=100, by Welsh NUTS3 areas for Ynys Môn was 86.9% and the provisional figure for 2010 is 90.5% as compared to the welsh average of 87.7%

Note: Gross disposable household income is an estimate of the amount of money that households have available for consumption expenditure or saving. It is equivalent to the excess of income (including earnings, pensions, investments, benefits etc) over expenditures associated with their income (tax, property ownership and the provision for future pension provision).

In 2001 there was 67,806 of us living on Ynys Môn and in 2010 a few more 68,592.

So next time the Daily Post, and or the Welsh Conservatives march out their lazy narrative in an attack on Plaid Cymru and/or Ieuan Wyn Jones AM - usually along the lines that Plaid Cymru have made it worse on the island, lowest GDP in UK etc etc I hope you do remind them of the facts.

Ynys Môn and GVA

The Daily Post in a report on Wednesday -  Wylfa B not derailed by power giant pull-out said:

[The pull out by RWE and E.on from investing in nuclear in the UK]....started a scramble to find a new consortium to bail out the development, seen as vital for a county which has the lowest GDP in England and Wales....

In the first place the preferred measure for regions is GVA, in particular GVA per head, and we know from the last issued  GVA figures for regions; from December 2011, that Ynys Môn does not have the lowest GVA per head of population in England and Wales, that would the Gwent Valleys at £10,654.

Which was something I did post about at the time see:  Ynys Môn GVA per head revised figures.

Ynys Môn GVA per head revised figures

We here on Ynys Môn have long being used to the label of poorest region in Wales, if you use GVA per head as a measure.

However, the latest revised figures from ONS shows that for the period 1997 to 2003 the GVA per head for Ynys Môn had been over estimated, whilst for the period between 2004 and 2009 they where under estimated.

The result of this revision means that since 2004 based on NUTS3.2 GVA per head at current basic prices, it has in fact been Gwent Valleys and not Ynys Môn that has the lowest GVA per head in Wales.

As a comparison in Ynys Môn the GVA per head between 1997 and 2009 grew by 5247, whereas for Gwent Valleys and the same period only grew by 2979.

Not surprisingly in 2009 in most regions GVA fell, Ynys Môn by 233 and Gwent Valleys by 344.

I would add my usual disclaimer about using GVA per head to compare regions see Anglesey and GVA

GVA per head - the bottom five UK

The following charts looks at the bottom five as of 2009 (Data from ONS - NUTS3.2 Headline GVA per head at current basic prices), looking at the years 2000 to 2008. The first chart shows the change in the GVA per head over the years, and the second chart shows GVA per head for 2008 minus GVA per head for 2000, showing which region in the bottom five the GVA has grown the most. I would add my usual disclaimer about comparing regions, but it does reveal some interesting results.

Ynys Mon is welsh for Anglesey

Corrected GVA per head figures.

This week the Office of National Statistics published the verified and corrected GVA figures for 2008. As we know Anglesey has the lowest GVA per head in the UK for sometime.

I have argued previously that the use of GVA per head to compare regions should be done with caution (Anglesey and GVA – The Article), but I’m not about to defend or justify the current figures for Anglesey here. No the reason for this post is to answer the question: Why has Conwy and Denbighshire moved out of the bottom five.

The answer is seems, looking at the above chart is that Sefton, for some reason, has year on year seen it’s GVA per head grow slower than that of Conwy and Denbighshire, replacing them in the bottom five. Whereas Conwy and Denbighshire growth seems slower than the average for Wales, even that of Anglesey as shown in the chart below, showing growth in GVA per head between 2000 and 2008.