1 in 5 in people in Blackburn with Darwen on benefits for at least 13 years

Some 17,986 of the 94,322 people of working age in the borough have survived on either jobseeker’s allowance or disability benefits for more than a decade.

The 19 per cent rate is the 13th highest in the country, only coming behind inner city areas areas such as Tower Hamlets, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

Council leader Mike Lee described the situation as a ‘tremendous concern’ while Blackburn MP Jack Straw said ‘there is no doubt there is a problem here’.

The figures, uncovered by the Conservative Party, show that in Blackburn with Darwen: * 479 people aged over 16 in the borough have never worked and live on benefits.

* 363 people have lived on jobseekers allowance since 1996.

* 8,841 people have never worked due to health problems * 8,303 people have not worked due to health issues since 1996 at the latest.

Currently there are 4,232 people out of work in Blackburn with Darwen, meaning the very long-term jobless total makes up around 20 per cent of the total.

Leaders fear that while there are many genuine claimants, a lot of people are increasingly ‘playing the system’.

Mike Damms, the chief executive of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said the figures showed that the benefits system needed to be looked at.

He said: “We look at levels of jobs and employment which have compared well with other parts of the country.

“I was not aware of such high levels of long term worklessness, although we have been conscious of a large proportion of people out of work and on incapacity benefit.

“East Lancashire has many problems with healthy living and that must impact on the number of people not in work.”

Coun Lee, the Conservative leader of Blackburn with Darwen, said a situation where so many people were out of work for the long term ‘could not be allowed to continue’.

He said: “The figures are a tremendous concern. The economic benefit to the area if even a small proportion of these people were back in work would be huge.

“There have been many problems with the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area and being out of work can be difficult for people to break out of.

“A major frustration for us is the lack of commitment from central government to sort out the benefits system.”

Coun Lee pointed to the £4.5million funding recently secured by East Lancashire councils to create 700 public sector jobs as proof that work was being done locally to improve the situation.

The Conservative figures have prompted a row between Tory and Labour ministers.

While the stats show the numbers who have not worked since 1996, the individuals concerned could have last held down a job at any time before this.

Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn, said the town did have a problem but that it had been mostly caused by the Conservatives.

He said: “There is no doubt there is a problem here, but the Conservatives are responsible for a large part of the problem.

“The Government are in the process of tightening up rules of invalidity claimants, when the previous Conservative Government put many people into this category when they shouldn’t have been there.

“I have visited the Job Centre Plus in Blackburn twice recently and the work they do to encourage people back into work is fantastic, they are transforming the area.”

Theresa May, the Tory shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “The reality is that under Labour there has been a steady growth in welfare ghettos - unemployment did not disappear during the ‘boom years’.

“It is important to remember that not everyone can work, those with severe disabilities or those who do an invaluable job as full time carers or parents of young children.

"But at the same time we should not shy away from demanding more of those who can work, and often desperately want to.”

The stats were not revealed for other East Lancashire boroughs.

Instead a ‘Lancashire’ figure was given for the county council area showing 105,000 had been out of work since at least 1996.