UNEMPLOYMENT in Stockton has fallen in the last year and is less than most other town's in the Tees Valley.

At the end of May, there was 5.7 per cent unemployment in Stockton, compared to 7.3 per cent in Hartlepool, seven per cent in Middlesbrough, and 7.7 per cent in Redcar and Cleveland. Only Darlington had few-er unemployed and the average for the whole of the Tees Valley was 6.4 per cent.

The figures were released by Stockton Borough Council, which is one of 40 authorities to have an Action Team for Jobs to tackle the problem.

A council spokesman said: "Significant unemployment problems remain concentrated in disadvantaged areas. Unemployment has declined marginally more in Stockton over the last five years than in the Tees Valley, but by less than in the North-East region and significantly less than the decline for the UK as a whole."

At the end of May, unemployment for the UK stood at 3.2 per cent.

The council is hoping the Action Team will help more people find work by organising work experience, building individual's confidence and getting information to those in need.

The team was set up in October last year to help the unemployed find work and to help employers to understand the barriers faced by many people.

The team concentrates its work in Billingham, providing training, travel costs, work clothes and advice to those looking for work. It will continue until March, 2004. There are plans to expand its work to other parts of the borough.

The unemployed in Stockton are also helped by the Five Lamps Organisation, which gives advice, offers grants to help people get into work and tries to get people to help themselves through entrepreneurial schemes.