Claimant count unemployment in Leeds West fell again in December, down 30 to 1,555.

John Battle welcomed the figures published today, “This is the lowest level of unemployment we’ve had in my constituency since I was first elected in 1987,” he said. “We had over 6,000 on the dole here at the worst of it in the middle of the 1980s and that hit people hard. But now we have a successful economy and there are jobs about, and we’ve brought in the minimum wage and the tax credits to make work pay.”

“But it’s also about helping people find jobs and get training, and the New Deal has done a good job for the people of Leeds West,” he added. “910 youngsters from my constituency have gained jobs through the New Deal for Young People, and we have now practically ended long-term youth unemployment in this part of the world - spending months and months unemployed was a real blight to young people making a start in the world and it’s good to be rid of it.”

“I’m also glad to say that the Government is looking for more ways to help people find work, particularly lone parents who often find it very hard to make the transition back to work. So the Government is planning a pilot scheme in Leeds where lone parents returning to work after a year or more unemployed will get an extra £40 a week for their first year of work - to encourage them to go back and help them with new expenses like travelling to work, buying work clothes, and childcare costs.”

Nationally, the number of people out of work and claiming Job Seekers Allowance fell to 908,200 - its lowest level since September 1975.

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