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Simon Hughes MPRepresenting Southwark and Bermondsey since 1983 |
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Declining unemployment in Southwark is a positive sign – Simon Hughes MP
May 17, 2012 12:00 PM
Simon Hughes, local MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, has welcomed news that unemployment and in particular youth unemployment has begun to drop in the three parliamentary constituencies in Southwark over the last three months.
The figures show that in Simon's constituency the number of unemployed fell by 178 from 4,542 in February to 4,368 in April, broadly reflecting the wider trend in London which saw the number of unemployed fall from 239,557 to 231,927 over the same period. In the constituencies of Camberwell and Peckham, and Dulwich and West Norwood the numbers fell by 97 and 100 respectively.
Commenting today, Simon said:
"We can begin to take encouragement from these figures which, while of course still unhappily high, seem at last to be heading in the right direction.
"Most encouraging is the fact that over the last three months the youth unemployment rate has also fallen in my constituency - from 6.3% to 5.9%, and across London from 7.8% to 7.3%. This just goes to show that the government's efforts to tackle youth unemployment seem to be beginning to work.
"In my constituency alone the government invested an extra £2.8 million in local schools last year, as well as £400 extra support for children from poorer families and greatly increased the number of apprenticeships available to ensure young people have the skills, training and opportunities they need to get on better in life."