UNEMPLOYMENT in East Lancashire has fallen sharply in the last year, the latest official statistics published yesterday show.

They also reveal the jobless rate in Blackburn and Darwen and Burnley remains stubbornly above the national and North-West average.

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The UK figure for those claiming the main unemployment benefit – Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) – in January had fallen to 2.1 per cent and the North-West average to two per cent.

In Blackburn with Darwen there are now 2,357 JSA claimants – 1,092 less than a year ago. That is 2.5 per cent of the working age population.

In Burnley there were 1,300 claimants, down 834 on January 2014 – a rate of 2.4 per cent.

In Hyndburn the figure of 873 – a rate of 1.8 per cent – was 627 down on 12 months ago.

The number of JSA claimants in Pendle was 872 (1.6 per cent) – a reduction of 688 over the year.

Rossendale’s rate was 1.7 per cent (740 claimants, down by 393) and Ribble Valley’s 0.7 per cent (231, down by 151).

Blackburn Jobcentre Manager Judith Dowling said: “This is good news.

“Claimants in Blackburn and Darwen are down by 28 per cent on 12 months ago and 43 per cent on 2010.

“We are seeing many more job vacancies, especially in retail, care and construction. The roll out of Universal Credit, bringing six benefits together, is going well.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “I am always pleased to see employment going down but too many of East Lancashire’s jobs are low paid and insecure.”

His Hyndburn Labour colleague Graham Jones said: “There has been a rise in claimant count of 111 in the last two months and I am concerned that any economic recovery has been short-lived and shallow in my constituency.”

Pendle Tory MP Andrew Stephenson said: “It is great to see the employment rate nationally at the highest since records began and more people in work than ever before. “In Pendle, with the construction underway at the old Boundary Mill site and the Glen Mill site in Colne we can expect another big jobs boost later this year. “ Burnley Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “It’s amazing to get our unemployment rate down to 2.4 per cent.

“It shows the effect of all the investment in Burnley.”

Rossendale and Darwen Tory MP Jake Berry said: “I’m very encouraged to see that unemployment is continuing to fall here.

“The number of people looking for work has more than halved from its peak, showing the fantastic work that our businesses are doing.”