Negotiating pay when I have been out of work

I do not know whether to give a range or ask for theirs. I do not usually post, so bear with me. I looked up ranges in Birmingham and they vary a lot. Does giving a range hurt?

Asking about the range for the role first worked for me. Some recruiters share it.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 11 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.