KENT MP Stephen Ladyman has called for a debate in Parliament to see how some of the county’s unemployment hot spots can be helped to attract jobs.

The South Thanet MP said: “Unemployment in Thanet has been cut by more than half since 1997, which is a great achievement, but it remains stubbornly much above the national average.

“Looking at last week’s unemployment figures there are about a couple of dozen such unemployment hot spots around the country.

“Can we have a debate to see what more we can do to help these areas attract jobs?”

He said that the recent closure of vehicle component supplier Grupo Antolin with a significant loss of jobs is at least partly related to changing production patterns in the car industry.

He said: “What is clear is that they were allowed to leave without any sort of fight by Thanet council, which no longer prioritises job creation and looking for inward investment and has no standing economic development team any more.

“We can’t blame anyone but the council for that.

“In the absence of pro-active steps to attract and support business investment into Thanet by the council, perhaps there is even more that central Government can do to help?

“They’ve done a huge amount already by giving us Regional Selective Assistance and investing in our local roads and railway but Thanet, and the other unemployment hot spots, need even more help if we are to fully share in the growing prosperity of the rest of the country.

“That’s why I have called for a debate to see if the Government can step in to make up for the fact that Kent County Council and our district council are failing us.”