MP welcomes further unemployment drop

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that unemployment in Westmorland & Lonsdale is 170 people lower than it was a year ago. These figures give Westmorland one of the lowest unemployment rate in the UK.

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics show that the number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in January 2015 was 265. This represents a rate of 0.6% of the economically active population aged 16 to 64. The number of claimants is 170 lower than in January 2014.

Tim said: "It is good news that unemployment is down again, compared to last year. These figures show that our campaigns on jobs, investment and apprenticeships are paying off and that local businesses are continuing to work hard to boost our economy."

"These figures are encouraging, but there is more work to be done in the South Lakes to tackle lower than average wages, higher than average house prices and the proportion of seasonal work. This is why I am so supportive of the Living Wage. I will continue to work to encourage the public sector to take the lead within the county and introduce the Living Wage for their staff."