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Channel Four to bring Benefits Street to Teesside

Channel Four has announced that the second season of its reality television show Benefits Street has began filming in Stockton-on-Tees.

Love Productions, who make the show for Channel 4, have started filming on Kingston Road in Tilery. The project has been met with considerable opposition from local residents and MPs.

The first series of the show, which was set on James Arthur Street in Birmingham, showed residents living off benefits in poor conditions.

Recently, Stockton has been shedding is bad reputation with the number of jobseekers in the area decreasing significantly in 2014, falling more than 1,200 between May and July.

Stockton workers are also the highest paid in the North East, with an average annual salary of £25.2k - £25.6k more than their counterparts in Middlesbrough.

Kieran Smith told creative director for factual at Love Productions, told The Gazette: “The thing about Benefits Street is we’re looking to give a voice to a community that don’t really have a voice. We think it’s incredibly important to represent those people.”

In a statement on the Stockton council website, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “I am deeply disappointed to learn that the programme makers have chosen Stockton. They have ignored us in pursuit of their own needs and I am extremely concerned about the way in which the fantastic people who live and work in Stockton Borough will be portrayed by this programme.

“The vast majority of people know that the programme plays to negative stereotypes and I’m certain it won’t reflect the amazing sense of community we have here in Stockton.

“It’s a shame that the programme won’t be showing any of the recent brilliant examples of great community spirit such as the 1,245 Sunflower Project, Stockton’s Community Carnival or our residents’ involvement in Sky TV’s Big Town Dance. No doubt this programme won’t highlight the excellent work that is on-going to make our town an even better place to live and work.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .