Unemployment fell across the district last month, according to the latest figures released today.

For July, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits stood at 8,820, compared with 8,960 in June and 9,260 in July last year.

The claimant rate is 2.7 per cent, compared with 2.2 per cent in Yorkshire and the Humber and 1.9 per cent nationally.

Tracy Othen, skills manager at Jobcentre Plus in Bradford, described the fall, both overall and in 18-24 age range as "really positive", adding there had been a 56 per cent drop overall in the last five years and more people were going into full-time work.

She said: "Our trend is following the national increase in employment.

"In Bradford, more people are in employment and that can only be a positive.

"Those jobs are out there for people. We've got employers coming to us with their jobs to promote and to work with them."

She added that the Jobcentre runs a number of initiatives to help people get people into work, including one in July which focused on jobs within the NHS.

Ms Othen added that the team is already looking ahead to the Christmas period.

Figures dropped in some of the district’s five parliamentary constituencies when compared with June this year and July 2016.

In Bradford East, the number of claimants stood at 2,420, compared with 2,445 in June and 2,660 for the same time last year.

In Bradford South, there was a total of 1,745 claimants, which represented a drop of 75 from June and a drop of 105 from July last year.

And for Bradford West, the total was 2,730, compared with 2,755 in June and 2,830 in July 2016.

In Keighley, the figure dropped slightly from June, when there was 1,050 claimants. The total for last month, and for July last year, was 1,045.

In Shipley, there were 10 fewer people claiming unemployment benefits than in June, but the figure of 880 represented an increase from 875 in July 2016.

The Jobcentre can be followed on Twitter @JCPinWestYorks, where vacancies are posted under the #Bradfordjobs