UNEMPLOYMENT in the district has risen again, according to the latest figures, following the largest fall this year the previous month.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that there were 9,420 people claiming unemployment benefits across the Bradford district in August.

This is an increase of 1. 9 per cent on the month before, or 180 more claimants. It is in stark contrast to the previous month which saw a drop of 3.4 per cent, or 325 people - the largest fall in 2018.

The claimant rate also increased slightly locally, to 2.9 per cent, with the regional and national figures remaining static at 2.5 and 2.2 per cent respectively.

The data from the ONS includes those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit benefits principally for unemployment reasons.

Tracy Othen, partnership manager for Jobcentre Plus in Bradford, said: "We do expect to see a rise in the claimant count because of the recent roll out of Universal Credit in Bradford.

"There have been some great things happening that are quite interesting in Bradford, including a new project working to support unemployed young people from BME backgrounds called Mentoring Circles."

The number of claimants rose in all five of the district’s parliamentary constituencies.

The largest increase was seen in Bradford South with a jump of 2.9 per centre or 55 people to hit 1,930 claimants in total in August.

In Bradford West there was a rise of 2.5 per cent, or 70 claimants, to reach 2,895.

Meanwhile in Bradford East there were 40 more claimants than the previous month, to reach 2,545, a 1.6 per cent rise.

In Shipley the number of claimants rose by ten to 905, a rise of 1.1 per cent.

And the smallest increase went to Keighley, a 0.9 per cent rise equivalent to ten people, to reach 1,150.

The number of claimants in Yorkshire and Humber rose by 744 people or 0.7 per cent on the previous month to reach 86,364.

Nationally the figure was 918,817 a rise of 8,681 or 1.0 per cent, over the same period.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey said: “Since 2010 we have delivered significant growth in jobs, and in the last six months we’ve seen real terms wage growth.

“We haven’t had a lower unemployment rate for over forty years and I’m especially proud that youth unemployment is at a record low, falling by over 45 per cent since 2010 - opening up career opportunities for our next generation.”