A total of 1,100 households in Rhyl West Central are in receipt of benefits totalling thousands of pounds a year, Office of National Statistics figures reveal.

Figures for Rhyl West area one reveal 610 working-age people listed as unemployed out of 895, while statistics for area two reveal 500 jobless people out of 981 within working age.

The study, which highlighted Rochdale as the benefit capital of Britain, showed people within Rhyl West Central were claiming a raft of benefits including Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, plus support for housing and council tax.

While shadow Work and Pensions secretary Chris Grayling claimed the figures revealed the true nature of benefit dependency in the UK, Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane, whose constituency includes Rhyl West Central, said it was a far more complex situation.

“Some of these people haven’t had the best start in life and have drug, alcohol and mental health problems.

“We need to find out what the barriers are for some people going back to work and work with education and transport providers, child care professionals, health services and social services to aid their return to work.”

Mr Ruane, who along with former MP Gareth Thomas and Betty Williams, successfully campaigned for Denbighshire to benefit from European Objective One funding to create jobs and boost opportunities.

He attacked the Tories, who he claimed had not done anything for the area.

Mr Ruane said the 1997 Labour election victory signalling a jobs boom with 3,000 jobs at St Asaph Business Park, 2,000 at Kinmel Industrial Estate, and hundreds more in Bodelwyddan.

The launch of the City Strategy Scheme, would result in agencies working together to benefit people living in West Rhyl.

He added: “Along with many seaside towns we have to deal with many of the social problems experienced in inner cities. That’s why we were included in the City Strategy programme with all of these organisations helping people get back to work and play a full part in society.”