Local MP Stephen Metcalfe has
welcomed new statistics showing that unemployment is falling in South Basildon
and East Thurrock and that crime is on the decrease in Essex.
The number of unemployment
claimants in South Basildon and East Thurrock has fallen by 252 since September
2012 and a further 105 since August 2013.
This downward trend is
reflected nationally with the number of people claiming
Jobseeker's Allowance falling by 41,700 to 1.35 million last month. The number
of people in work, both full-time and part-time, reached a record high of 29.87
million in the quarter, up 155,000.
The local MP
commented: “This is fantastic news for South Basildon and East Thurrock and for
the country as whole. We are slowly but surely getting back on our feet and I
hope that my constituents will soon start to reap the rewards of this.”
It is not
just unemployment on the decrease, crime levels are also following suit. Latest
figures from the independent Office for National Statistics show that over the
last three years recorded crime Essex has fallen by 3%.
Nationally, recorded crime
has also dropped again – down more than ten per cent under this government –
and the crime survey says that crime has more than halved since its peak in
1995.
Mr Metcalfe commented: “This
is really positive news. Forces are rising to the challenge of making savings
whilst cutting crime and delivering a better service to the public.”
“I realise that 3% is not the
highest of figures, but it definitely shows that we are heading in the right
direction. I will keep working with Essex Police and PCC Nick Alston to ensure
that crime continues to fall in South Basildon and East Thurrock and across
Essex as a whole.”
