At risk of steering the thread off topic, if people were willing to get their hands dirty and shovel st for a living until something better comes along instead of choosing to remain on benefits, then the jobs are there.
The point being made was, isn't it odd that so many houses - almost all of them private - are being built in England's most economically disadvantaged area. People who "shovel s**t" for a living won't be buying those houses. The sad fact is, companies like Peel make a living out of getting planning consents for housing - not necessarily for actually building those houses.