Unemployment third lowest in country

Local MP Tim Farron has praised local businesses following today's news that his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency has the third lowest unemployment rate of all 650 UK constituencies.

Last month there were 193 unemployed claimants in the area, meaning that its unemployment rate of 0.5% was significantly lower than the national average of 2.4%.

The number of unemployed claimants was 10 lower than the month before, and 13 lower than the equivalent figure for the year before.

Tim said: "These figures are fantastic news for local residents and for the local economy. Local businesses deserve enormous credit for the way they have bounced back from the floods over the last year. Their hard work and resilience has paid off, and South Lakeland is now leading the way nationally when it comes to creating jobs for local people.

"My thanks also go to the District Council for their work supporting small businesses and start-ups. This has helped to boost jobs in the area, and these figures show that this is working."