Westmorland and Lonsdale has fifth lowest unemployment rate in country

Local MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency has the fifth lowest unemployment rate in the country, saying it is "a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of local people".

The House of Commons Library has today released data showing that the unemployment rate for Westmorland and Lonsdale is just 0.5%. This is significantly lower than the national average of 2.4%.

This figure means the constituency has the fifth lowest unemployment rate of all 650 constituencies in the country.

There were 196 unemployed claimants in the constituency in September. This figure is lower than the equivalent figure for a year ago, and lower than the figure for the previous month.

Tim said: "This is really great news for local people. These figures are a tribute to the hard work of local residents and business owners who are driving the local economy forward and creating jobs. The district council has worked hard to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, and these figures show that this is paying dividends."