New statistics released today indicate unemployment in Dartford and Gravesend has decreased over the past year, bucking the national trend.

The figures from the Office of National Statistics show the number of people seeking Jobseeker's Allowance in Dartford has dropped by 463 since June 2014.

The number of Jobseeker's claimants for last month stands at 1,036 - of which 225 were aged 24 or under.

In Gravesend the number of claimants has fallen by 450 from 1,784 to 1,334 and of that figure 310 were aged 24 or under.

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The number of Jobseekers claimants has dropped in Dartford and Gravesend.

Jenny Ellis, Thames Gateway Partnership Manager, said the decrease in unemployment is largely due to new businesses coming to Dartford- particularly in the retail sector.

She said: "It's fantastic news. We're still heading in the right direction of continuing to reduce unemployment in Dartford.

"Locally we have a very positive and buoyant labour market with a steady flow of job opportunities from current and new employers in the area."

Against national statistics Dartford and Gravesend have fared well, after figures showed that unemployment has risen for the first time in two years.

In London unemployment has risen by 21,000 over three months.

The Office for National Statistics showed that a total of 308,000 people were unemployed in the region between March and May.

The region's unemployment rate was 6.7% and saw a rise of 7.3 % during the period, making London the worst area in the UK for the rise in the number of unemployed.

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