The recent news that shows the number of people in Chatham & Aylesford claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 240 since last year has been welcomed by Tracey. This is a 15% drop and builds on a strong record which has seen over 1000 people in Chatham & Aylesford move into work since 2010.

These figures reflect a positive picture nationally with employment at its highest level ever and 350,000 more people are in work across the UK than a year ago – unemployment is also now at its lowest level for 7 years. Jobs continue to be created and there are nearly three quarters of a million vacancies across the country. In the South East specifically, 219,000 more people are now in work since 2010 and here in Chatham & Aylesford, jobs are being created by businesses like Amazon, who are setting up a distribution hub in Larkfield.

Tracey said:

‘The news that unemployment continues to fall in Chatham & Aylesford is obviously very welcome and I want to thank the local Jobcentre staff for all their work in supporting people back into work – to see that over 1000 people in Chatham & Aylesford have moved into work since 2010 is a remarkable milestone that is made possible by their dedication and a stronger economy. However, while the recent news is of course welcome, there is still more to do and I want to see this progress built on with more people continuing to get back into work.’