UNEMPLOYMENT is falling in north Kent, according to the latest Job Centre figures.

The number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) in June this year was down by 147 in Dartford and 165 in Gravesham, compared to the same month last year.

Overall, last month there were 1,901 claimants in Dartford and 2,370 in Gravesham, while the total number for Kent was 32,062, which is down 2,015 from the previous year.

Nationally, the number of people claiming JSA was 1.46m, which was down around 20,800 from the previous month and around 100,000 from the same month last year.

And the national unemployment rate for the last quarter, April to June, was 2.47m, which is down around 34,000 from the same period last year.