Figures showing a fall in the number of benefits claimants in the local area have been welcomed by an MP.
The Office for National Statistics said that the numbers claiming in the Lichfield Parliamentary constituency area had dropped by 60 in the past 12 months and by 140 since March 2020.
Sir Michael Fabricant, Conservative MP for Lichfield, said:
“These are superb figures and compare well nationally and internationally.
“There were 1,310 actual claimants in Lichfield constituency, which was 2.3% of the population aged between 16 and 64.
“The equivalent UK claimant rate was 3.7% – this compares well with 7.3% unemployment in France and a 6.5% average throughout the European Union.”
Sir Michael Fabricant
Figures also showed that there were 225 claimants aged between 18 and 24, equivalent to 3.8% of the local population compared to the UK-wide rate of 4.9%.
“This reflects the high work ethic in the Lichfield constituency and the high level of skills in the local population.”
Sir Michael Fabricant
