Local MP Maria Miller has welcomed employment figures published today which show that Basingstoke unemployment has fallen by more than 40% in the last year and is now the lowest for a decade. 642 people claimed Job Seekers Allowance in December 2014 down by 49 compared with November 2014 and down by 485 compared with December 2013.
Maria said, "We are starting to see local business having the confidence to take on new staff and more new businesses are opening too. In the last year we have seen 1000 new businesses set up in the Basingstoke. Business is starting to have more confidence because they can see the Government has a long term economic plan that's working.
" There are now a record number of people in work in the country up 1.7million since 2010; three quarters of those new jobs are full-time and two thirds are in higher skilled occupations. Basingstoke is backing business to make sure there are more of the sort of jobs we need in the Borough: the redevelopment of Basing View, the new John Lewis store opening next year and £30million being spent by Government on road improvements in the town mean more opportunities in the next 12 months."