Figures by the Office for National Statistics show an increase in the borough

Unemployment is on the rise in all three of Brent’s parliamentary constituencies, new figures have shown.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, show that the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for 12 months or more has increased by 15 per cent from the same period last year in Brent North.

In March 2012 there were 510 people claiming JSA compared to 585 last month.

In Brent Central there was an eight per cent increase from 1,545 to 1,675 and in Hampstead and Kilburn there was an increase from 960 to 1,035.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council said: “Three years on its clear the Government’s plan is failing the people of Brent badly. The unemployment rate is soaring. As a council we are doing more and more to help people get back into work, but all our hard work is undermined by the government’s economic incompetence which is causing more Brent residents to lose their jobs every day.”

However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said nationally the number of claimants had fallen and that the overall number of people claiming the main out-of-work benefits has fallen by over 270,000 since 2010.