THE number of people out of work and claiming benefit in Oxfordshire rose last month to 9,308 — up from 9,182 the previous month.

Nationally, the number of people claiming benefit rose by 24,400 to 1,602,189, the highest since May 1997.

In contrast, the Oxfordshire figures from the Office of National Statistics, showed a drop from its peak this year of 9,637 recorded in April, which was the highest claimant count for the county since October 1996.

All districts in the county showed small increases in the claimants except Oxford, which saw a marginal drop from 2,869 to 2,865. The number of people unemployed in the UK, but not necessarily claiming benefit, rose to 2.47 million or 7.9 per cent.

There are no local figures for unemployed people – just those claiming benefits.

Cherwell and Oxford have the highest proportion of claimants, at 2.6 per cent each. But Banbury MP Tony Baldry said job clubs in Banbury and Bicester were getting people into work.

He said: “With the Chancellor and shadow chancellor both now talking about public spending cuts, the indications are that unemployment in the county will increase in the coming months.

“But we are seeking to give people out of work all the help we can, not only by helping them to find jobs but also through training and indeed volunteering — so that they can keep up their CVs.”