Farron welcomes drop in unemployment in the South Lakes but calls for more to be done
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has welcomed today's news that unemployment has dropped in 6 out of the last 7 months across the South Lakes.
Unemployment in the constituency was recorded at 1.4% for September 2012, down 0.2% on the August figures and over 4 times lower than the rest of the region. This keeps the Westmorland and Lonsdale as the constituency with the 4th lowest level of unemployment out of 650 UK constituencies. The number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) is 39 fewer than in August 2012. Youth unemployment has also dropped from 145 JSA claimants to 130, or by 0.2%.
Tim is campaigning to bring more well paid jobs to the South Lakes and was involved in the successful bid to bring the £500million GlaxoSmithKline development to Ulverston, an estimated £70m to the Canal Head Development in Kendal and 100 jobs back at the re-opened Ambleside Campus. Tim also helped secure success for Cumbria's bid in DEFRA's Rural Growth Network which will bring investment to Clawthorpe Hall in Burton-in-Kendal, Ambleside Campus and the Marl in Ulverston.
In addition, Tim is championing apprenticeships in our county. Tim has declared 2012 the 'year of the apprentice' in Cumbria. So far over 3,200 people have started an apprenticeship since August last year. This adds to the 5,280 who were on an apprenticeship in 2010/2011, representing an increase of 58% on the previous year for Cumbria as a whole. In Westmorland & Lonsdale the apprenticeship figures are even better, having risen by 96%.
Commenting Mr Farron said: "This announcement of another month where the unemployment levels have dropped is extremely encouraging news for our local economy and for the South Lakes population. But it only tells half the story. Although unemployment is low; wages here are often low too as the South Lakes employs a higher percentage of seasonal workers than most other places in the region. This is why I am focussed on work that will bring well paid jobs and apprenticeships to our community."