EMPLOYMENT: Unemployment: 7.6% (nationally 3.5%) Proportion on Income Support: 20% Manufacturing: 9.1% Construction: 2.1% Distribution, hotels,restaurants: 20.8% Transport and communications: 6.3% Banking, finance, insurance: 18.4% Public admin, education, health: 38.2% Other services: 4.9%.

POLITICS City Council: Liberal Democrat 70 Labour 20 Liberal 3 Ward Labour 3 Others 3 MPs: 5 Labour Education Pupils: 79,644 (Statemented: 2,238 or 2.81%) Ethnic minorities: 5.44% Unauthorised asence: 1.08% Free school meals: 36.94% Teachers: 4,693 PTR: 19.51:1 (primary: 23.26:1 secondary: 15.67:1) Classes with fewer than 30 pupils: 87.16%.

Budget 2001 pound;249,052,100: pound;229,596,700 school- related; pound;196,066,800 goes direct to schools.

Schools Nursery: 6 Primary: 156 (71 VA or controlled) Secondary: 33 (1 foundation, 17 VA or controlled) Special 20 PRU 4.

Pupil achievement 1997-2000: (national average for 2000 in brackets) Key Stage 2, Level 4 English 56.2% - 70.2% (75%) Maths 54.6% - 65.9% (72%) Science 60.5% - 82.3% (85%) GCSE (5 A-C) 30.8% - 36.0% (75%) GCSE (1 A-G) 87.8% - 93.7% (94%)