BENEFIT claims in Bradford have soared again as the coronavirus lockdown continues to bite, new figures reveal.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows claims by the unemployed and those on low incomes jumped 21.5 per cent month-on-month in May to almost 30,000.

At 29,970 claimants in the Bradford district, this is the highest figure since current records start in 1992.

It comes on the back of a record rise of 44.4 per cent the previous month, meaning a total of 12,880 more people claiming out-of-work benefits since the end of March.

The month-on-month increase in Bradford compared less favourably to the 15.2 per cent increase seen in Yorkshire claims, but was just under the 23.3 per cent rise nationally which saw the number of jobless claims in the UK rise to 2.8 million.

Experts have said that while the data shows the painful toll taken by lockdown, the true impact will only be shown after the current furlough scheme to support workers ends in October.

Across the five constituencies covering the Bradford district, the number of claims in Keighley rose the quickest, by 24.4 per cent to reach a total of 3,875 claimants last month.

In Bradford West the number of claimants also rose, with 23.3 per cent more claimants in May than the previous month at 8,660 people.

Meanwhile in Shipley, a total of 3,165 people claimed unemployment benefits last month, a rise of 22.7 per cent.

In Bradford East there were people claiming unemployment benefits, a rise of 20.5 per cent. And in Bradford South, the area with the smallest rise in the district, there were saw 17.8 per cent more people claiming the benefits, or 6,130 people.

The data is measured by combining the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and National Insurance credits with the number of people receiving Universal Credit principally for the reason of being unemployed.

Separate figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions show the number of people claiming Universal Credit in total has risen by 20.5 per cent in Bradford to 54,585 in May.

The same data shows a lower increase in Yorkshire of 18.6 per cent, and 25.3 per cent nationally.

Universal Credit aims to simplify the benefit system and replaces six previous benefits with a single monthly payment.

The benefit provides support for people who are unemployed, in low-paid work or unable to work due to a disability or health condition.

Tracy Othen, partnership manager for the DWP in Bradford, said that people were making claims for Universal Credit to support themselves through the coronavirus pandemic as and when they needed it - including those that had lost their jobs, had been furloughed or their income had reduced.

She added: “We are still supporting employers, but we are having to do things differently. Our sector based academies are no longer face-to-face, but virtual, such as one for warehouse operatives. Our training partners are doing the same too.”