The number of people out of work and claiming job seeker’s allowance in Chesterfield fell again in August, according to figures released this morning.

There were 1071 JSA claimants in Chesterfield – 84 fewer than in July and 540 fewer than a year ago.

Chesterfield is now below the national average for the percentage of claimants for the first time since records began in 2006.

In the East Midlands as a whole, the number of people in employment increased over the three months to the end of July to 2,172,663, a rise of 18,539 compared with the 2,154,124 in the previous three months.

The employment rate for the region over the same periods rose from 74.4% to 75% and unemployment dropped from 5% to 4.8%.

Scott Knowles, Acting Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: “Yet again, Derby and Derbyshire are recording strong employment growth. That is excellent news, especially as there will have been a cohort of 18-year-olds leaving school this summer – the first since the school-leaving age was increased from 16 – and appearing on the figures for the first time.

“What is important is that these jobs are sustainable, which means they must be created alongside improvements in productivity [output per employee] if regional growth is to be sustained.

“Over the next few months we can expect to see a spike in employment as companies recruit temporary staff, some on zero hours contracts, to cope with the Christmas rush.

“What we must hope is that, come the new year and the end of those contracts, we don’t see a large dip in employment or spike in JSA claimants.”

East Midlands Trains has secured an investment of around £13m from the Department for Transport to improve services for customers as part of a new rail franchise.

The current East Midlands Trains franchise was due to end in October and the operator had been in discussions with the DfT for a number of months about a Direct Award to the franchise.

Stagecoach, East Midlands Trains’ parent company, has now secured an agreement with the DfT that will see services continue to run until at least March 2018.

Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber*, said: “This is fantastic news for the region and for one of our key members, East Midlands Trains, which will ensure that rail passengers can continue to access the same award-winning service for at least the next two-and-a-half years.

“The announcement of this franchise agreement is timely, given that the Chamber is leading a delegation of business – including East Midlands Trains – and local authority leaders to Westminster today to meet with local MPs and get their support for the electrification of the Midlands Main Line, which is currently on hold.

“The Midlands region, and the East Midlands in particular, has created jobs at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country over the past 18 months and has been a significant driver of the growth of the UK economy from recession to recovery. Businesses here stand ready to push the economy forward again, but they need support.

“The electrification of the Midlands Main Line is critical to the delivery of a modern, cost effective and reliable transport system serving the economy of the East Midlands and should proceed without delay.”

The company behind a series of north Derbyshire glossy magazines – including Chesterfield’s Twist magazine -has once again been shortlisted in two categories at the 2015 Magazine Publishers’ Awards.

Director Mike Firth said: “We’ve come away from the awards night with trophies for the past two years and we would be delighted to make it a hat-trick this year.

“But there has been a 64% increase in the number of entries this time around, so competition is fierce and we’re delighted to have been shortlisted.”

Heron Publications has been selected in both the ‘Best Social Media’ class – partly due to their busy ‘Dronfield Eye’ facebook content – and also for ‘Best General Interest Editorial’, recognising the quality of journalist Deborah Wain’s feature looking at 100th anniversary of the Women’s Institute.

Last year, Heron Publications Ltd was Runner-Up in the ‘Best Magazine Editorial’ category and in 2013 the company was Runner-Up in the ‘Best Magazine Front Covers’ section.

This year’s winners will be announced by the Association of Independent Magazine Publishers on October 2nd.

(Image shows Mike Firth at the 2014 Magazine Publishers Awards.)

Council leaders in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have submitted a joint bid to government for the devolution of more economic powers and much greater control over their own affairs.

It is believed that the ground-breaking deal would place the East Midlands firmly on the Westminster map and at the front of the queue for jobs, growth and skills.

It would also place the area, which includes the Core City of Nottingham, on a par with Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

The final detail of the bid is still subject to on-going negotiation, but will include new powers to generate income for major infrastructure projects. It also calls for more say over jobs, skills, housing and transport projects.

One of the Government’s conditions for devolving significant powers includes a directly elected mayor. While this is challenging for many, it was agreed that it needed to be seen in the light of the prize that was on offer.

All 19 councils in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, including Chesterfield Borough Council, have shown their support for the idea of regions having greater control over their own affairs and being able to help local economies to thrive.

In a joint statement, Councillor Anne Western, Chair of the D2 Joint Committee, and Councillor Graham Chapman, Chair of the Nottinghamshire Economic Prosperity Committee, said:

“We submitted our devolution bid to Government on Friday 4 September 2015 after an agreement from the leaders of the councils.

“The potential benefits to local people are substantial. It would place Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire at the head of the queue for skills, growth and economic development.

“We all know that some of the conditions are challenging but the size of the prize means that we can’t afford not to be at the table. The important thing now is to keep talking and negotiating so we can secure the best possible deal for the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.”