Jobless total falls

THE number of jobless people in the Henley constituency has fallen again.

In December there were 429 unemployed claimants, which is less than one per cent of the economically active population aged 16 to 64. The total was 168 fewer than in December 2012 and 10 fewer than in November last year.

Henley now has the third lowest rate of unemployment out of the 650 UK constituencies. The number of unemployed aged 18 to 24 in Henley town was five.

Nationally, there was the biggest rise in the number of people in work since records began, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Henley MP John Howell said the figures showed the Government’s long-term economic plan was working.