Maria Miller has welcomed the latest unemployment figures which show that unemployment in Basingstoke has fallen again in the last month to 743, down 36% in just the last year, and down 1,518 since 2010. Maria said: “It’s great news that 1,518 fewer people are relying on Jobseekers Allowance in Basingstoke and that more people are in work, with the stability and security that a regular pay packet brings.” “There is still much more to do, and getting our young people into training and work is a priority. Thousands of new apprentices have started in the last four years, and we have seen 1,000 new businesses created locally. Big new employers will be making Basingstoke their home this year, like John Lewis, Waitrose and Network Rail, creating hundreds more jobs.”