A drop in the number of people claiming Universal Credit in East Kilbride and Strathaven has been welcomed by MP Dr Lisa Cameron - but more needs to be done she says.
Claimant count figures for the East Kilbride, Strathaven, and Lesmahagow constituency have recently been published by the Office of National Statistics.
The figures published show that in April 2022 there were 1835 claimants in the constituency, which was 2.8 per cent of the population aged 16-64. The equivalent UK claimant rate was 4.0 per cent.
And figures also revealed there were 275 claimants aged 18-24, which was 3.4 per cent of the population in that age group.
The equivalent UK claimant rate was 4.6 per cent.
Over the past year, the number of claimants in the East Kilbride, Strathaven, and Lesmahagow constituency has fallen by 1485 claimants.
And the number of claimants in the 18-24 age group has fallen by 310 claimants in the past year.
Dr Cameron told Lanarkshire Live: "Whilst it is pleasing to see the claimant call fall locally, and reach below the national average, more needs to be done to create sustainable long term inclusive opportunities, particularly for young and disabled people.
"Planned civil service cuts by the UK Government if they were to happen, would devastate the local economy and I strongly urge the UK Government to rethink this course of action."
Since March 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic, the claimant count has risen overall by 50 claimants.
In the 18-24 age group, the claimant count has fallen by 50 since March 2020.
There was a large increase in the claimant count between March and May 2020.
Some of this increase can be attributed to people who became unemployed, whilst some will have been employed people who became eligible for Universal credit due to changes the Government introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic, added Dr Cameron.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did yo u know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.
