THE MP for Central Devon has welcomed new figures which show the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has almost halved since the last general election.

The claimant count has dropped from 1.56-million in April 2010 to 848,000 in November 2014 — a fall of 46%. The figures from Mr Stride's Central Devon constituency show a better-than-average drop of 55% with the claimant count now standing at just 396.

Welcoming the figures Mel Stride MP said: 'It's great news that 500 fewer people in Central Devon and more than 700,000 people across the country are relying on Jobseeker's Allowance to get by. This is happening because we're helping businesses create more jobs with lower taxes and better infrastructure, and fixing the welfare system to make sure work pays.'