A Hampshire MP has welcomed a drop in unemployment in the town she represents.

Around 501 fewer people are unemployed in the Gosport area than in the same month last year.

The youth unemployment rate also dropped last month and currently stands at 4.7 per cent – down 2.5 per cent on the same time last year, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage said: “Yet again, Gosport has received good news from the Office of National Statistics, as has the rest of the UK. Employment has now reached a record high, with over 30 million British people in employment for the first time ever.

“There is still more to be done, both in Gosport and across the country. However, these figures show that this Government’s policies are securing a better economic future for Britain.”

The national average unemployment figure for November 2013 is 3.9 per cent. In October 2013, the rate of unemployment in Gosport was 2.6 per cent.