The number of people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) in Carshalton and Wallington has fallen for the seventh consecutive month and is now at its lowest in over three years.

The figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of JSA claimants locally has fallen by 423 since September 2012. The news coincides with the release of the latest GDP figures (released on Friday 25 October) showing that UK’s economy grew by 0.8% in the last quarter.

Commenting on the news, Tom Brake MP said: “Liberal Democrats in Government have helped to create a million jobs and over one million apprenticeships. I am delighted and proud to see that we are delivering a stronger economy and a fairer society. Fixing the economy was always going to take time, but these figures show that we are on the right path. It is clearly great news, but we must remain focused on creating jobs, ensuring that all hardworking people benefit from the recovery and are able to get on in life.”

A million more people across the UK are currently in work compared to early 2010, and the number of unemployed people nationally has dropped by 18,000 in the last three months.