FIGURES that suggest fewer people are jobless in South Lakeland than a year ago are hindering the district's attempts to secure aid following the foot-and-mouth crisis, say councillors.

A report to South Lakeland District Council's economic development committee stated that, between June 2000 and June 2001, unemployment fell by:

l 263 in Barrow.

l 53 in Kendal.

l 12 in the Lakes.

l 23 in Ulverston.

l One in Windermere.

Coun Andy Shine said the figures indicated that fewer people were out of work, despite the fact South Lakeland was "in a state of crisis."

"Whitehall will say, problem, what problem, you haven't got one," he said.

"Yet we know different.

This is the dilemma.

We are going to have to continue to battle, but I can well see it's going to be a very long haul because the statistics at the moment are not supporting the argument that we are making to central government, and it isn't surprising we don't get a particularly sympathetic hearing if Whitehall is just looking at this sort of statistics."

Audrey Taylor, of the economic development department, said officers were aware such figures were doing the council " no favours at all".

She said the number of people who had actually made claims at Windermere, Ulverston and Kendal job centres since the foot-and-mouth outbreak was outweighed by the number of jobs lost, and the number of applications for hardship rate relief.